TRAWSFYNYDD’S Mared Griffiths continued her remarkable rise in the game by scoring the first senior hat-trick of her career as Manchester United Women thrashed Sheffield United 10-1 in the Subway Players Cup on Wednesday evening (23 September).

The 19-year-old was handed her first senior start for the Reds just four days after making her Women’s Super League debut as a late substitute in the draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Griffiths seized her opportunity in style, producing a clinical display to take her tally to five goals in just three first-team appearances for United.

The Wales international returned to Manchester this season after a productive loan spell with Sunderland, where she gained valuable senior experience and regular game time. Her latest performance is another sign that she is ready to make an impact at one of the biggest clubs in the women’s game.

Griffiths has rapidly emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Welsh football. A native of Trawsfynydd, she developed through the FAW North Academy before securing a move to Manchester United’s academy in the summer of 2024.

Her breakthrough came in February 2025 when she scored twice off the bench on her senior debut in a 6-0 FA Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, earning widespread praise. That progress was rewarded with her first professional contract at Old Trafford in July 2025.

A former student at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor in Dolgellau, Griffiths has represented Wales at under-17 and under-19 level and is now firmly established in the senior international set-up.

Comfortable in both midfield and attacking roles, her technical ability, eye for goal and maturity on the ball have marked her out as one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from Gwynedd in recent years, and Wednesday’s hat-trick provided further evidence of her exceptional potential.