Gareth Taylor highlighted the importance of game time to those unlikely to feature regularly for City and allowed them to gain some experience away from Manchester.
In this instalment of our end of season review, we take a look at our three loanees who spent the 2022/23 campaign with other clubs.
Khiara Keating, who spent a portion of 2023 to date on loan at Coventry, was included in our goalkeeper end of season review.
End of season review | Goalkeepers
To learn about the loan spells for the City trio, take a look below…
Ruby Mace
Mace featured for City five times in 2022 before joining Leicester City on loan in January 2023, making her debut in their FA Cup defeat to Reading.
Featuring in 10 of Leicester’s 12 league games from when she joined the Foxes, the versatile midfielder played an integral role in helping Kirk’s side avoid relegation.
Willie Kirk deployed Mace at the base of the engine room for the majority of the season, helping shield Leicester’s back line but also showing her capability to carry the ball forward when needed.
In Leicester’s home and away wins over Liverpool, the 19-year-old played with the elegance of an elite athlete who had been perfecting their craft for decades.
Jess Park
Park is the only City player to spend the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign out on loan, joining fellow Barclays Women’s Super League side Everton in July 2022.
The 21-year-old had an impressive season on the wing, featuring 17 times and scoring three goals and providing four assists.
The end of her loan spell was sadly cut short due to a shoulder injury but helped the Toffees secure a sixth-place finish.
Julie Blakstad
The 21-year-old who joined City in January 2022, joined BK Hacken on loan in Sweden from March and will return to City later in June.
Blakstad is undefeated in her eight appearances, putting Getingarna top of the Damallsvenskan with a two-point lead as they approach the midway point of the season.
The winger scored her first goal for the outfit in their 3-0 win over Linkoping and will likely return to Manchester looking to fight for a place in Gareth Taylor’s midfield.
