Applicants must be aware of why Casey Stoney is leaving Manchester United

When Casey Stoney departs this weekend after her final game in charge, Manchester United will not be short of applicants for her job.

But some of the reasons behind Stoney's decision to quit will be of concern to anyone considering the vacancy.

Stoney has been unhappy with the support structure and facilities provided to the women’s team since they made the temporary switch to Carrington, the men’s training ground, at the start of the year.

Players were unable to shower in between training and meals before makeshift portacabins were installed while the nearest toilets are a 10-minute walk from their training pitch. Their gym has also been in a tented facility and upgrades promised by the club and football director John Murtough have not been forthcoming.

The club requested a move from their usual base at Leigh because they kept picking up injuries on what they felt were poor pitches. But United see things differently as the men's U23s have used them.

The facilities at Leigh are amateur standard but are believed to have been better than what was provided at Carrington.

It is a significantly different story at Manchester City, who are based at the Etihad campus alongside the men and academy teams.

United’s players are understood to feel let down by the way the club have handled their presence at Carrington and are aware of the contrasting stories from across the city, where Pep Guardiola is known to watch training and encourage togetherness.

There is also a frustration at the club's unwillingness to accommodate them at Carrington on a full-time basis with proper facilities. One source told Sportsmail that a move to Carrington is the 'million-dollar question', but a permanent switch is not anticipated for at least another year, if not longer.

When United were awarded their Championship licence in 2018, the club had said Stoney’s side would eventually be based at The Cliff, the former training ground of the men’s team, once refurbishments had been completed.

But the owners changed their mind on that decision, believing The Cliff was not big enough for the women’s team and their academy age groups.

In a statement, United said: 'The nature of the pandemic has created unique challenges over the last year across football and across the club in terms of mandatory protocols around training and games.

'These in turn have affected the usual training locations and schedules for our Women's team at Leigh Sports Village in recent months.

'The club has had to adapt to be as flexible as possible in terms of use of ATC and other arrangements and we recognise this has impacted the Women's team at times.

'We are working on a package of medium-term investment that will increase and improve facilities for the women's team.

'Long term Joel Glazer last week referenced that the club will need to significantly increase investment in Old Trafford and our training complex to ensure that the facilities remain among the best in Europe.

'The long-term intention is be for a fully integrated approach to the training ground that includes men's team, women's team and academy.'

United faced much criticism for disbanding their women’s team in 2005 and it took them 13 years to relaunch a senior side. However, their progress in the last three years has been rapid with Stoney guiding the club to promotion in her first season in charge before back-to-back fourth place finishes in the WSL.

But the former England captain insisted she saw this campaign as a ‘personal failure’ after United missed out on a Champions League place, despite topping the table at Christmas.

Her side suffered a number of injuries to key players including Tobin Heath, Alessia Russo, Leah Galton and Lauren James. They found themselves unable to compete with the squad depths of Manchester City and Chelsea, who have already started recruiting for next season.

Stoney looks to be heading for America with San Diego, who are set to enter the National Women’s Soccer League as an expansion team in 2022, reportedly interested in hiring the 39-year-old.

Her final game in charge of United will be this weekend’s FA Cup fifth-round tie with Leicester, who finished this season as champions of the second tier. The Foxes train full-time at Belvoir Drive, the facility vacated by the men's team just before Christmas, and will be looking to put a marker down ahead of their first top flight season.

United are in the process of recruiting a new head coach and have insisted they will build on the legacy of Stoney’s achievements. If they want to find someone with the same stature as their former boss, they will need to prove their commitment.