Ella Toone is back to her best! Lionesses star key to Man Utd's chances of ending forgettable season on a high

Fans of Manchester United’s women’s team aren’t exactly filled with optimism right now. Out of the Women’s Super League title race, facing a nigh-on-impossible battle for a Champions League spot and in danger of losing more star players this summer, it’s hard to see this season as anything but a failure at this moment. But there is still the chance of them having something to shout about before the campaign comes to a close.

On Saturday, the Red Devils will be the favourites as they take on Brighton in the quarter-finals of the Women's FA Cup, a competition they reached the final of last year. Just two wins from Wembley, there could yet be something to celebrate in a difficult season.

It won’t be easy. After all, even if they overcome a Brighton side that held them to a draw in a four-goal thriller earlier this season, Chelsea or Manchester City, the top two in the WSL, could be opponents in the semi-finals. But, as the old saying goes, anything can happen in the cup, and this United team still has plenty of talent to boast about, players who can produce match-winning magic.

Right now, few fit that description better than Ella Toone, who since opening her account for the season in that 2-2 draw with Brighton back in November, has found the kind of form that is responsible for the iconic status she already holds in English women’s football.