The first domino of United's recruitment drive has fallen for 2020-21, with local junior Grace Maher returning to Canberra after a two-season stint with Melbourne Victory.

More signings are expected to roll out in the coming weeks, now Linton is settled in Canberra and finalising her W-League roster.

The recruitment drive has been difficult with Football Federation Australia yet to confirm a kick-off date, season length and whether internationals can play.

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Linton said the roster, thus far, will have familiarity from previous seasons as well as a mix of experience and youth.

"In a way I'm coming in fresh, so it's like a new start at Canberra and maybe an opportunity for players to get back here with the state of the country, the world and the league," Linton said.

"It's going to be a localised league this year. One of the strengths of Canberra in the past is its core group of local players. Coming in, there's an opportunity to start and move from there.

"Some like [Maher] have had similar experiences, even if they are local based players. What you're going to see is a mix of experience and youth. My role is to try and knit that together, getting the right people with experience to help develop our talented young players.

"I can't say [what the squad looks like] yet, but there's going to be familiarity from previous years and last year."

It means Maher could be joined by some of her championship-winning teammates, with former Matilda Michelle Heyman keen on a W-League return.

Linton coached 21-year-old Maher in the Junior Matildas program, saying it's nice to welcome her back to Canberra in her first year as the club's mentor.

"She was always a mature and smart player. She demonstrated that back then and now she's a few years older and had more experiences, she'll certainly bring that," Linton said.

"She's also got some leadership qualities. She'll be among a group of players that are of similar abilities and assets that will combine well as a unit."