Manchester City defender lifts lid on title race hopes and inspiring next generation

Manchester City defender Ruby Mace says she is hopeful that the Blues will end the season with some silverware as the race for the Women's Super League (WSL) title heats up.

City are currently three points clear at the top of the table, though second-place Chelsea do have a game in hand. Emma Hayes' side have won the league in each of the last four seasons and will hope to do so again before their totemic manager leaves to become head coach of the US Women's national team this summer.

But Mace, who has featured five times for the Blues in the WSL this season and is widely regarded as one of England's brightest young talents, remains confident that Gareth Taylor's side have what it takes to win their first league title since 2016 this term.

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"It's a great team," she tells the Manchester Evening News. "Everyone works hard every day and we’re like a little family. We’ve all got each other’s back and hopefully this is the year we can bring trophies in."

Mace joined City from Arsenal in 2021, signing her first professional contract with the Blues at the age of 17. She helped Gareth Taylor's side triumph in the Continental League Cup in her debut season before joining fellow WSL side Leicester City on loan in January 2023.

The 20-year-old, who originally hails from Upminster, played a crucial role in helping the Foxes improbably avoid relegation and has also excelled for the Lionesses' under-23s side in recent years. "My family is very driven and so when I was younger they put me on this path and it was kind of like ‘don’t quit until you make it’," she