As Manchester United set to work dismantling Tottenham Hotspur in the Women's FA Cup final, there was one player inside Wembley Stadium whose loyalties were split.
Grace Clinton, who joined United from Everton in 2022, had spent the season on loan at Spurs and was therefore ineligible to feature against her parent club. Her absence was a huge blow for Robert Vilahamn's side, who ultimately fell to a 4-0 defeat in north-west London as the Reds romped to their first major piece of silverware.
Clinton had been a revelation during her season-long stint at Brisbane Road, completing a clean sweep of Tottenham's Player of the Season awards and breaking into the senior Lionesses squad. "She will be the next superstar in this country if you ask me," Vilahamn said after the midfielder's impressive start to life on loan. "I think she's brilliant and has the potential to be so good."
Clinton form was so good, in fact, that Tottenham were keen to make her stay in the capital permanent. “She cannot stay because she’s not a part of us next year," Vilahamn told The Athletic in April. "But if you ask me if I want to buy her, there would be a high potential I want to do that."
The 21-year-old - who also excelled on loan at Championship side Bristol City in 2022/23 - seemed to relish her time at Spurs, forging a close friendship with teammate Celin Bizet and flourishing under the watchful eye of Vilahamn. “Confidence for me comes from the manager, and both Robert and (England boss) Sarina (Wiegman) have given me so much of that this season,” Clinton told the MEN earlier this year.
“This season I’ve just been filled with confidence and I think you can see that on the pitch. That freedom and confidence from them has allowed me to go and express myself.”
This week, however, seemed to draw a definite line under Clinton's Tottenham adventure, with the midfielder taking to social media to pen an emotional farewell to the Lilywhites. "This past year was by far my happiest season of football," she wrote on Instagram.
"I loved every minute at this club and I’ve made friends for life along the way. I’m so beyond grateful to the staff and my teammates for making this club so special to be a part of. Most importantly thank you to our fans for your unbelievable support this past year, you truly helped us make history and those are moments I will cherish with me."
While part of Clinton's heart might always belong to Spurs, her focus will now turn to transforming United into a consistent force in the Women's Super League (WSL), with the former Everton prodigy set to return to Leigh Sports Village as Marc Skinner's side ramp up their pre-season preparations. Despite beating Tottenham to the FA Cup trophy last term, the Reds faltered in the top flight, finishing in fifth place and winning just 10 of their league games.
In spite of United's turbulent campaign, manager Skinner was somewhat controversially awarded a one-year contract extension by the club's hierarchy and the 41-year-old will surely now be delighted to have Clinton to call upon as he bids to turn the Reds' WSL fortunes around.
Though he has always been unequivocal in his stance on the 21-year-old, insisting that her long-term future lies in Manchester, her return will be a huge boost for Skinner, particularly considering the club have parted company with midfield duo Katie Zelem and Irene Guerrero this summer.
"All I hear is Tottenham want to keep Grace, of course they want to keep Grace," the United boss said when quizzed on the club's plans for Clinton back in May. "She's a fantastic player.
"We don't get the credit that we identified her qualities at Everton, we brought her to Manchester United, gave her six months, sent her on loan at Bristol – she got experience. She then went on loan to Tottenham to get more experience. I don't think people recognise that – there is a plan for each individual we bring into the club.
"With Grace, it's absolutely worked. I want to bring her back to the club and be part of what we're doing because I think she has a huge say in how we'll play."
Certainly, Clinton returns to United a much more well-rounded player than when she left, having gained valuable experience on both the domestic and international stage. The midfielder won her first senior cap for the Lionesses against Austria in February and took just 19 minutes to crown her eye-catching debut with a goal.
"She plays like a natural," Wiegman said after the game. "She wants to have the ball. She picks up the things we talk about very quickly and that's what you see on the pitch too. She just goes out there and plays."
Clinton has won a further two caps over the past five months and is surely destined for many more. But it is not only on the pitch where the youngster has learnt some valuable lessons of late.
“Grace is a great girl,” Manchester City and England defender Alex Greenwood told the MEN in April. “You see her about and she's always wanting to ask questions, learn from everyone, and she's a really confident girl as well. She believes in herself and she always wants to improve, and I love that about Grace.
“She was doing a press conference and so she came up to me and Lucy (Bronze) and said: ‘What can’t I say?’ That’s just an innocent question and that’s not even about football but it’s stuff that comes hand-in-hand now with playing for the Lionesses.
“At dinner she asks questions like ‘What do you eat Al?’ I remember her first camp, we were on a walk before the game and I said: ‘Grace, you haven’t shut up this whole walk’...but it’s nice.”
While it's clear Clinton still has plenty to learn - both on and off the pitch - her return could spell very good news for United as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of last season. Her time at Spurs may have played a vital role in shaping her career to date but it is the Reds who must now help England's "next superstar" fulfil her true potential.
