The Canberra Times revealed Linton as United's new mentor for the 2020-21 W-League season on Friday, taking the reins from Matildas legend Heather Garriock.

The 46-year-old is determined to rebuild Canberra into a W-League powerhouse and end the longest finals drought in the club's history.

But Capital Football boss Phil Brown says her impact will go beyond the W-League pitch next season.

Linton has worked with the Matildas as an assistant coach, led Melbourne Victory to consecutive W-League grand finals and spent the last three years with the United States' academy system.

Like Garriock, Linton will work full-time with Capital Football and lead the Canberra United Academy program.

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"Not only is the success of the team on the field in the W-League important, it's the future of the team and the young players coming through," Brown said.

"We're always looking to enhance the program. Vicki comes in with fresh eyes, it's about her fine tuning the program and applying her experience from her time in the US to see what we can do to enhance what we're doing.

"To improve the environment we can provide for those players so they can become the best footballers that they can."

Linton will step into the role on Monday but Capital Football technical director Scott O'Donnell will see out Academy's 2020 National Premier League season.

The incoming United coach will instead scour the competition and interstate leagues to identify recruitment targets.

Clubs are still waiting for Football Federation Australia to provide a W-League starting date and make a decision on international recruitment.

The salary cap and minimum player wage for the 2020-21 season is also unknown, delaying contract negotiations with potential signings.

"We're going to take it a step at a time and that first step is to get Vicki started in Canberra and have a look at local players," Brown said.

"I'm sure she's already got some ideas in mind for the squad she would like to assemble."

A host of W-League players face an uncertain future with the competition poised to shift to a later starting date, creating scheduling clashes with overseas leagues.

The recent Matildas exodus to Europe will also leave the W-League without many of its top players. Brown says their departure opens the door for players who have been on the fringe of selection an opportunity to step up.

"If some of the Matildas don't come back because of the season length or international travel, it's a great opportunity for fringe players from previous W-League seasons to get some good game time and show their quality," Brown said.