Women's Football Column: Lionesses heartbreak, Scotland defender's message to fans and Man Utd injury update

It has been some week to be a women's football fan, hasn't it?

While the introduction of Nations League felt like it was an overkill of games when it started in September, it couldn't have been more exciting and headline filled than it has been this week.

In this week's column, we'll be bringing you all of the fall out from Scotland 0-6 England, a brand new WSL Show podcast, interviews with Sarina Wiegman, Keira Walsh and Niamh Charles and an injury update from Manchester United.

There's nowhere else we can start other than the chaos that was the Nations League and the Auld Enemy derby at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Rarely will a 6-0 win prove to not be enough to top a group but thanks to Damaris Egurrola's injury time double, the Lionesses were toppled by Netherlands.

Niamh Charles gutted after Lionesses late elimination

I was able to catch up with a left back Niamh Charles after the game in Glasgow, who cut a visibly gutted figure, admitting the last outcome of the group was "so hard to take".

Her boss Sarina Wiegman was equally as down about the outcome but was bullish in admission that she felt her side had put in a "real high level of performance" on the night and throughout the Nations League. Read Wiegman's full quotes here.

In the run up to the game, we spoke with Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh who defended Lionesses goalkeeper and team mates Mary Earps after her rare error in the 3-2 win over Netherlands on Friday.

"She's delivered before so I am pretty sure she will do it again" admitted Walsh and, had it not been for that last minute goal for the Dutch, there's no doubting we would have been discussing the group winning 90th minute save she made from Martha Thomas on Tuesday.

As for Scotland, their ears will still be ringing with the sound of Hampden Park. Their improved display over Belgium over Friday had reignited hope they could once again push the Lionesses but the performance and result was simply humiliating.

Several Scottish stars took to social media in the aftermath of the game to address the fans following the lacklustre display, with Sophie Howard admitting fans "deserve better" than what they offered on Tuesday.

Elsewhere head coach Pedro Martinez Losa called for more investment and resource but insisted he was still the man to take Scotland to a major tournament after the Hampden mauling by England.

After a gruelling end to Nations League campaign that brought just two points and three goals, we looked at all the talking points from Glasgow, as Scotland boss Martinez Losa begins to come under real scrutiny after a poor campaign. Is it time for Scotland to make a change at the top?

The return of the WSL

Caught your breath yet? Well, you might need to as the Women's Super League is set for its return this week and we caught up with Jonas Eidevall as Arsenal prepare to face Chelsea this weekend.

Gunners boss Eidevall dismissed suggestions that the dynamic of the WSL title race will change this season due to Emma Hayes' departure from Chelsea at the end of the campaign as he discussed his team's "hunger" ahead of Sunday's game at the Emirates.

Manchester United's Marc Skinner offered an injury update on midfielder in his Friday morning press conference after Hinata Miyazawa limped out of Japan's win over Brazil.

Staying with injury news, it has been revealed this week that UEFA have launched a new initiative to investigate and better understand anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the women’s game - which is great news after a number of high-profile players suffered ACL injuries in recent seasons. Here is everything you need to know about the initiative so far.

Loan star Grace Clinton has been in fine form for Spurs but, as she is forced to miss this weekend's game against her parent club, the United boss admitted she was "ahead of schedule" as he hinted at a potential return for the 20-year-old.

Another Spurs star, Ashleigh Neville, admits she has not yet given up hope of achieving a dream England call-up almost four years after she quit her teaching job to focus on football full time.

And that is all for this week's column! However, if that wasn't enough for you drop me a follow on X/Twitter to get all the latest news from this weekend's games and transfer exclusives in the coming weeks.

Have a great weekend!