Manchester United welcome PSG to Old Trafford for their first ever Champions League game at the Theatre of Dreams this evening
Mary Earps holds the ball at Old Trafford.
Mary Earps returns to Old Trafford tonight as PSG take on Manchester United.
View Image
Former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Mary Earps was cheered by fans as she made her way out on to the pitch for the Paris Saint-Germain warm-up.
Earps returns to Old Trafford for the first time this evening after leaving the club for the Parisians in June 2024. The 32-year-old has made headlines in the past few weeks following the release of her book; 'All In'.
An excerpt from that book caused controversy as she discussed a conversation she had with England head coach Sarina Wiegman about Chelsea star Hannah Hampton. It was claimed in the book that the goalkeeper, who helped England win Euro 2025, was criticised by Earps prior to the tournament.
Earps alleged that Hampton was 'disruptive and unreliable' during Euro 2022 and is believed to have told Wiegman that the Dutch head coach was 'rewarding bad behaviour' by calling up the 24-year-old thereafter. These allegations were met with backlash from England fans and Earps has since spoken out to defend her comments.
In a statement on Instagram following backlash, Earps said: "It is not easy to be as vulnerable and open as I have been in the book, and I also understand that my honesty and rawness will divide opinion. That's okay, everyone is entitled to feel what they feel and I respect that."
Speaking prior to the match, the goalkeeper admitted she expected a frosty reception at Old Trafford. However, that's not what played out on the night.
"I'm probably expecting a little booing," she said. "I hope it's a little bit, but it might be a lot.
"A few of the fans have come out to support me at PSG, but United is their No.1 team. I understand that."
When asked about the prospect of Earps being booed, United head coach Marc Skinner also moved to ward off potential ill-will towards his former player. "Deep down I know Mary is a good person," he said.
"I'm sure part of bringing out a book is bringing out controversial stuff that will help sell the book. I know that she has to defend that publicly.
"Knowing the human she is, I'm sure she will be getting criticism that she won't like. It's part of the other side of releasing a book.
"But she's a great person, she doesn't need me to say that really.
"I hope people toe the line with criticism, but I'm sure Mary understands the situation she's put herself in.
"She's on a platform where people are interested in what she says, so that's a credit to her and to her hard work. The goalkeeper we had at the start, to the one that left, was not the same person. She transformed."
Once the whistle goes this evening, Earps will be hoping her performance will not leave the home fans so happy. United head into the game with two wins from two matches in the Champions League while PSG have yet to pick up a point in this season's competition.