Manchester United boost as key duo rested during latest international fixture ahead of Southampton trip

Manchester United pair Harry Kane and Kobbie Mainoo were unused substitutes as England beat Finland 2-0 at Wembley on Tuesday night.

The Red Devils are straight back into Premier League action this weekend with a short turnaround as they head to the south coast to take on Southampton in a 12.30pm kick off. With United facing a long away trip and the early kick off on Saturday, manager Erik ten Hag will have welcomed the Red Devils pair getting rested by interim Three Lions boss Lee Carsley against Finland.

Both players started as England won 2-0 against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday night with Mainoo withdrawn after 77 minutes before Maguire came off with just five minutes of normal time remaining. Mainoo has started all three of United’s Premier League games so far this term while Maguire was in the starting XI against Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion before coming off the bench against Liverpool. The duo also started in the Community Shield final, with their competitive seasons starting a week earlier than all of their top-flight rivals bar Manchester City.

At Wembley on Tuesday evening, Harry Kane earned his 100th cap for the Three Lions and scored twice in the second half to mark the occasion to send England joint top of League B, Group 2 in the latest edition of the Nations League. Greece also have six points from their opening two games after beating Ireland 2-0 on Tuesday. England’s clash with Finland was Lee Carsley’s second match in charge as interim boss, having led England to a 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday afternoon.

England dominated the contest against Finland, who failed to have a shot on target with just two efforts on goal during the entire game with just 22 per cent possession. Kane had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half after drifting ahead of the last man from Bukayo Saka’s cross. However, he made no mistake in getting his name on the scoresheet in the second 45 minutes as he opened the scoring just before the hour mark.

The former Tottenham Hotspur striker received the ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold and expertly slipped it through the legs of the defender and smashing it in off the bar. He added a second on 76 minutes as he guided it into the far corner from the centre of the penalty area after a pass from Chelsea winger Noni Madueke.