by Freya Hiscott for Impetus (14/01/25)
Above: Rebecca Knaak signs a contract with Manchester City until 2026. Photo: @mancitywomen on Instagram.
An insight into Manchester City’s newest signing, Rebecca Knaak, and the experience she will bring to this City side as they fight to break Chelsea’s WSL winning streak of five in a row.
An insight into Knaak’s career
Rebecca Knaak, a German defender has recently signed for Manchester City from FC Rosengard until the summer of 2026. Knaak spent three seasons in Sweden, winning the Damallsvenskan (the Swedish league title) in both 2022 and 2024 and securing the Damallsvenskan Cup in the 2021-22 campaign. As an integral part of her former club, Knaak was central to Rosengard’s defence, with the team in the 2024 season losing only once and conceding just nine times in 26 fixtures. Knaak’s remarkable season also saw her attain individual recognition as she claimed the Damallsvenskan’s Defender of the Year award. Knaak was pivotal to that latest title win, finishing with 12 league goals, surpassed by just five other players across the entire division.
Knaak’s stunning debut
With defender and captain Alex Greenwood currently recovering from an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury and Alanna Kennedy absent from City’s latest matchday squad, Knaak made her first appearance for City in their 3-0 win against Ipswich in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Playing the full 90 minutes, Knaak was a dominant force in the opposition box, making strong tackles and providing an assist in the first 20 minutes, where she guided Jill Roord to scoring the opener. The versatile centre-back had an impressive game, which almost saw her secure her first goal for the Blues when a corner taken by Mary Fowler met with Knaak’s head; however, the ball quickly took a deflection onto the crossbar.
What makes Knaak the perfect signing for the Blues?
Having represented Germany at youth level, the 28-year-old brings a wealth of experience to this young Manchester City team. Knaak debuted for Germany’s Under-15 youth team at age 14, which led her to eventually captain the Under-20s. With the City squad having an average age of 24, the team has a combination of experienced players who have played at both club and international level, but also plenty of promising young talent coming through. Knaak is now one of the older players in the squad so her understanding of the game should help strengthen and inject experience into the team. In the 2023/24 WSL season, Manchester City saw three goals scored from the backline, coming from Captain Greenwood and Spanish internationals Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi. In Knaak’s latest season playing for FC Rosengard, she drove the ball into the net 11 times in the Swedish league, contributing massively to the side’s title win.
In the 2023/24 WSL season, The Women’s Super League Golden Boot was awarded to Manchester City striker Khadija Bunny Shaw, who scored 21 goals in 18 games. Lauren Hemp also completed the most assists that season with eight. With both of these influential players currently ruled out of the City squad due to injuries, Gareth Taylor has been giving more game time to younger players, such as 18-year-old academy graduate Lily Murphy. Since signing her first professional contract for City in December 2024, Murphy has played in four WSL games and five Champions League fixtures, scoring one goal. Due to Knaak’s experience in being a key player in both boxes and her ability on the ball, she will be the perfect player to bridge the gap between experienced players and younger, more inexperienced players within Manchester City’s squad.
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