Mared Griffiths gives Manchester United a derby selection question after taking cup tally to six

Mared Griffiths has scored six goals in three Players Cup appearances for Manchester United. With Manchester City next, Eva Olid has a decision to make about how much of that form she takes into the league.

Two goals in Wednesday’s 5–3 win at Liverpool continued a productive cup campaign for the 19-year-old. She scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United and added another at Durham. Against Liverpool, she struck twice in three minutes before half-time.

That is a persuasive return from the opportunities she has been given. It also comes with a complication: the players ahead of her have been helping United win.

Olid’s side have won their past three Women’s Super League matches. Their established attacking unit is functioning, and changing it for a derby requires more consideration than simply picking the player with the latest goals.

The question is whether Griffiths has now earned a greater share of the minutes, even if a starting place remains another step away.

6️⃣ goals, 3️⃣ games.

Mared Griffiths is on 🔥 in the Players Cup 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/2JNCOnDdwL

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) October 21, 2026

Mared Griffiths’ Manchester United goals are becoming a pattern

There is an obvious reason to treat the early cup figures carefully. United beat Sheffield United 10–1 and Durham 5–1. Both opponents play outside the WSL, and those scorelines describe games in which United’s attacking players had considerable scope to impress.

Liverpool offered a different comparison. They are top-flight opponents, and Griffiths scored twice while the match was still being settled.

Her goals in the 41st and 44th minutes turned a one-goal advantage into a three-goal half-time lead. Whatever happened during a hectic second half, that contribution had given United control of the score.

The official account of the Durham victory describes Griffiths finishing after the ball broke to her in the centre of the penalty area. Wednesday added another two goals to a sequence that now stretches across every cup appearance this season.

Three matches remain a small sample. They cannot establish how regularly she would score against the strongest league opposition, or whether the same return would follow a longer run in the side.

They do establish that she is repeatedly contributing when selected. That is enough to make her involvement against City a serious selection question.

Why Olid has reason to keep faith with her league attack

The strongest argument against an immediate change can be found in United’s 3–1 win at Charlton.

Ella Toone, Andrea Medina and Julia Zigiotti scored before half-time. Olid had selected the same starting side that beat Liverpool in the league before the international break, keeping Jess Park and Elisabeth Terland in the attack alongside Toone and Medina.

Griffiths was an unused substitute at The Valley. Her absence from the action was not followed by a performance that demanded an attacking overhaul.

That matters when assessing what she has earned. A promising player can make a strong case for promotion while the manager still has sound reasons to retain those already in the team.

Our selection preview before the Charlton game considered United’s options around Terland and Lea Schüller. Griffiths adds another decision to an attack in which opportunities have to be shared.

Olid also has to judge what happens when United lose possession: whether a player protects the right spaces, recognises when to press and helps the team recover its shape. A goals tally alone cannot answer those questions.

A bigger role need not mean a derby start

There is room between naming Griffiths in the starting XI and leaving her waiting for the next cup fixture.

If United need a goal against City, her recent scoring makes her an option worth considering early enough to influence the game. If Olid starts with the established attack, she can still give Griffiths a meaningful role from the bench.

The circumstances will matter. Introducing another attacking player into a team struggling to retain possession is a different decision from bringing one on when United are sustaining pressure around the opposition penalty area.

That is the next useful test of Griffiths’ progress: whether she can contribute when a league match is tight, the spaces are smaller and United need something from their substitutes.

Her cup performances have earned that consideration. Six goals do not settle Sunday’s team selection, but they give Olid a reason to look beyond her usual starters when deciding how to win the derby.