Man Utd v Chelsea: Marc Skinner on strong WSL start, chatting to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and club's evolution

It's been a near-perfect start to the season for Manchester United manager Marc Skinner, who took charge of the club in the summer and has guided the team to victories in their opening two Women's Super League matches.

The former Birmingham boss replaced Casey Stoney and says he hopes to take the club, which has only had a women's team since 2018, in a "different direction".

United face a huge test on Sunday when they host reigning champions Chelsea in a game that is available to watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 12:15 BST.

'Ole said if you lose one game at Man Utd it's a crisis'

When Skinner arrived in July after previous boss Stoney walked away, one of the first things waiting for him was an email from Manchester United men's team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

That, he says, is evidence of the "one-club mentality" he has found since arriving.

"It shows that this club is intertwined," the 38-year-old told the BBC. "Since I've been here there is no doubt this club is connected.

"We were having something to eat the other day and Darren Fletcher [technical director of Manchester United] came in and had a chat about the games, Soccer Aid and a number of other things. He really knew what the team were doing and he was really interested in what we were doing."

Previously in charge of Birmingham and an Orlando Pride side which struggled when he first came in, Skinner spoke of the "expectation' on Manchester United as the coach or manager as he creates his own identity for the squad.

"Ole said a wonderful thing the other day," added Skinner. "He said that if you lose a game at Manchester United, it's a crisis.

"What he allowed me to see was an identity of the expectation of a Manchester United coach or a manager.

"I think what's important is that my job is not to follow in the footsteps of others."

The perfect start?

Victories over Reading and Leicester City mean United are one of four teams, along with Brighton, Arsenal and Tottenham, to have picked up maximum points from their first two games.

But Skinner is not getting carried away and Chelsea, who were Champions League finalists last term, will present a significantly tougher challenge than those opening matches. United have yet to beat them in three WSL matches.

"What we're focusing on is being the best together team, being the most together, looking out for each other and sharing that connected spirit," he said.

"Perfection is obviously what you strive for, but the reality is we've started well but we've got a tough challenge ahead.

"I like the challenges of these games - they're all very different and with each game you have to find a different way of winning."

How the WSL has changed

Skinner took over at Birmingham in December 2016 and led them to the FA Cup final and a fourth-placed finish in 2017, before departing in January 2019 for a new challenge in the United States.

Since returning he has noticed positive changes to the "evolution" of the women's game.

"The growth of the fanbase is noticeable," he said. "Being in a different league I've noticed the tactical evolution of the game - it's definitely grown in terms of its physicality and the energy has changed massively.

"I feel we now approach women's sport as it should be approached. It has its own identity and women's football doesn't have to follow men's football. It shouldn't be compared. Women's football has its own beauty and we have to see it for that. That's something we're going to try to continue to help grow.

"We don't just want a short bang, we want to continue the growth of it and I think as coaches, that's partly our responsibility."