Diane Caldwell to leave Manchester United after 'dream' spell

Republic of Ireland defender Diane Caldwell will leave Manchester United after the expiration of her contract.

The 33-year-old Balbriggan native signed for the club in January on a short-term deal.

The move fulfilled a childhood dream for the lifelong Man United fan, who told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast in February that, "even if they had a team at an amateur-level, I still think I would have tried to come over here at some point just to represent that badge and play."

In a statement on Thursday, Man United Women's confirmed that, "Diane Caldwell will depart the club when her contract concludes at the end of June.

"Diane joined United in the January 2022 transfer window and the Republic of Ireland international went on to make six appearances for the club.

"Manchester United Women would like to express our thanks to Diane and wish her the best of luck for the rest of her career."

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Caldwell, whose club career has taken her to countries like the United States, Germany, Norway and Iceland before arriving at United, started for Ireland in Monday's 9-0 win over Georgia which put Vera Pauw's side into the second-place play-off spot in their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying group.

The Irish side host third-placed Finland on 1 September before a final group match in Slovakia five days later.

RTÉ will broadcast all 31 games at UEFA Women's Euro 2022 from 6 July - with 27 matches live and exclusive on RTÉ2, with 4 simultaneous group games on the RTÉ News Channel and the RTÉ Player.

Pundits will