Aston Villa Women: Kirsty Hanson starting to find her feet under Carla Ward after tough start
After signing a season-long loan deal at Aston Villa from Manchester United on deadline day, Kirsty Hanson has found her integration at the club a little more difficult than she first expected.
Now, this isn’t because of her teammates, her manager, or even her new surroundings, but mainly down to the pressure she has placed on herself to deliver her best football on a weekly basis.
The Scotland international was brought to the west midlands as yet another brilliant attacking option for Carla Ward to utilise and was the final of Villa’s eight new arrivals in the summer.
Capped 12 times at the international level, the winger has been with Manchester United since 2018 – but failed to get regular first-team football last season under Marc Skinner, with just six of her 17 appearances as a starter.
In the early stages of the season, Hanson played on a weekly basis but struggled to provide the goals and assists that she was renowned for at United. Her performances were bright on the left wing, and her efforts never seemed to disappoint, but it just wasn’t clicking.
Speaking on the 90min Talks podcast, Hanson admitted she had placed a heavy burden on herself during the early stages of the season as she looked to impress at her new club.
She said: “I think I was putting a bit too much pressure on myself, saying, ‘I need to score some goals, come on,’ and it finally came, and it opened the floodgates for me.”
The crucial moment didn’t come until Villa’s Conti Cup victory against Sheffield United at the beginning of December, with Hanson finally getting the chip off her shoulder. A sharp, interchanging move left Hanson free from outside the box, and she let fly with a stunning effort that whistled past the post of Nina Wilson.
The 24-year-old backed this up with another crackerjack of a strike just six minutes into her next match against Arsenal, where she scored her second goal in as many games with a beautifully crafted left-footed strike from long range.
“The break now is disappointing,” Hanson said when speaking about the untimely nature of the mid-season hiatus. “But I’ll just have to make sure I keep working hard over the break and make sure I start off where I finished.
“How things are going at Villa, I do think we all need a break to just refresh. I think it will really help me recharge and continue what I’ve been doing.”
Ward will hope that Hanson hasn’t lost her magic touch during the winter break, as Hanson’s goals and assists could be crucial in taking the burden off centre-forward Rachel Daly.
Considering Daly has netted eight of Villa’s 13 WSL goals so far this season, Ward will need to find someone who can relinquish the pressure of the Lioness – and Hanson could be the perfect player for the job.
In other Aston Villa news, Emi Martinez’s goalkeeping dilemma offers fresh opportunity for Filip Marschall.