But like in any football team or league, there are the underrated stars - those players who help the team tick, are integral to how they play but perhaps do not attract as much attention despite their talent. Usually, this is just how they like it.

Sophie Ingle at Chelsea or Arsenal captain Kim Little are two that spring to mind. And at Manchester United, Leah Galton can consider herself in the same category, although these players are often loved and lauded by club and WSL fans alike.

• Marc Skinner on Man Utd improvements: Ways to win, growth moments & defensive solidity
• Get Sky Sports | Download the Sky Sports App
• Stream Tottenham vs Man Utd with a Sports Membership on NOW

The 28-year-old has been at Manchester United since their reformation as a women's team in July 2018. It marked a return to action for Galton after a four-month hiatus after her departure from Bayern Munich. She credits Man Utd's first manager, Casey Stoney, with helping her fall in love with football again.

"It was definitely very hard to see her go after everything she put into the team, the club and myself. She definitely made me fall in love with football again," she said in an interview with The Guardian's Suzy Wrack in February 2022.

"I'm just trying to continue what she taught me really and trying to keep myself in a good place with the game. Right now I think I am. I have a lot to thank her for."

It has been some return for Galton too, having achieved promotion with Man Utd in 2019 and is now one of the WSL's most eye-catching players. She is known for her flair on the left wing, attacking with purpose and driving the team forward.

Her current manager at Man Utd, Marc Skinner, has seen a real change in her since his arrival too and she has adapted well to a different style of play. He describes Galton as one of the best wingers in the world and a joy to work with.

"If you look at the start to where we are now, it's almost a full flip," he said in an exclusive interview ahead of Man Utd's trip to Tottenham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

"Leah Galton is one of the best wingers in the world, in my opinion, for the simple reason being that I've seen her almost telegraph what she's going to do and you can't stop her. She is the most humble, hard-working, a power athlete that has so much wonderful quality and control in what she does.

"When we first started, she was very much a wide winger. She loved to play out wide, hold the width and that's where she stayed. But the way we play is about invasion, so you can do that from a full-back, from a No 10, from a No 8, from a forward, from the opposite side wide forward.

"So we asked her to think about what it would be like to come inside at the right time and Leah scored the most goals she has scored in a season last year and barring a few games she missed with injury, she's look threatening in every game she has played and she's scored as well.

"We tick boxes as coaches in terms of performance and results, winning titles, but then you also have to look at how you work with your players and the growth they've had. She's one player I have adored working with, she makes us better every time she's in our team and she's a real privilege to coach."

The numbers back up Skinner's assessment too. This season already, she has four goals - joint with a number of WSL players, including Chelsea's Lauren James - and three assists. She has created 18 chances, four of which are classed as big chances - the fifth highest in the league.

Last season, she scored eight goals with three assists, netting the third-highest number of big chances (7) in the WSL. It's a further improvement on the 2020/21 campaign, having scored six goals with two assists.

Perhaps most impressively, she scores all of her goals from open play. In an interesting coincidence, she has also won the Barclays WSL Player of the Month award for December in each of her three seasons in the league.

Looking at her heatmaps, Galton has stretched her play along the attacking half. In the 2020/21 season, she was spending a lot of her time playing deeper on the wing, although under Skinner, her most active areas come more in the middle.

She has also ventured further into the 18-yard box in the last two seasons, all lining up with Skinner and his staff asking Galton to come inside at the right times.

Galton has also seen a fair amount on time in the defensive half, which for this season, is looking more akin to her play in the 2020/21 campaign.

She has previously spoken of Skinner improving defensive aspects of her game. She won possession in the attacking third 20 times last season and won 27 aerial duels - both the ninth-highest in the WSL. It is not a bad return for an attack-minded player.

Her defensive action area map shows how she is combining the two. In previous seasons, Galton has been stretched along the entire left wing, but each year has seen her kept further forward. While the current season may only be halfway through, she has kept her defensive areas largely in the attacking half with some past the halfway line.

The defensive actions - represented by the dots on the above map - are far fewer in the defensive half, but remain rather regular on the attacking wing.

But it is the opposition defences who have the difficult task of trying to keep Galton - and Man Utd overall - quiet. It is a psychological asset the team has before they have even stepped on the pitch.

"It's important to have left-side balance and she adds that anyway, in terms of having left-footed players in there and we can invert them and all the tactics that come from that," Skinner added.

"But if I'm the opponent playing against Leah Galton, I already know how hard my day is going to be before I'm thinking about attacking. She's hugely important to what we want to do, she's at the perfect age as well. Her growth and best years are yet to come so I want her to help us terrorise defences for many years to come."

However, we won't see Galton playing for England any time soon after she removed herself from contention during Phil Neville's tenure. Much like her hiatus before joining Man Utd, Galton feels she needs the international breaks to recharge her own batteries.

She told the Guardian: "I've been open and honest with everybody and I want people to know that it's not anything to do with the setup or the girls. It's more about me having my own time and having a break when everyone else goes around national duty, I need that time to myself.

"It's something I have noted in my life that I need. Otherwise, I get too stuck in to work mode. Then I start not enjoying it. Instead, when I come back from that break it's nice because it's refreshing and I'm excited to get back on the pitch."

It is clearly a strategy that works for both Galton and England. The Lionesses do not struggle for talented wingers of Galton's ilk, and it allows the player the time and space she needs to be at her best and most importantly, keep herself healthy in every aspect.

By doing that, she is proving to be incredibly effective for Man Utd - arguably their underrated star as she continues to propel her team forward both on the pitch and up the WSL table. Now, Galton will be hoping to fire Man Utd to their first WSL title in just a few months time.