Manchester United: Harry Maguire relishing ‘battle’ with England team-mate Harry Kane

Harry Maguire is relishing his upcoming ‘battle’ with Harry Kane as the Manchester United captain says ‘may the best man win’ ahead of the Red Devils’ visit to Spurs.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side travel to north London on side holding an 11-point advantage over their rivals, in a remarkable turnaround from the last time the teams met, when Jose Mourinho’s men ran out 6-1 winners at Old Trafford.

Kane and Son Heung-min ran riot that day, each scoring twice, in a display that exposed the defensive frailties that have undone the Red Devils in the big games under Solskjaer. 

Harry Maguire (R) is relishing his upcoming ‘battle’ with Harry Kane (L) in the Premier League

Kane ran riot when he last met Maguire as Spurs hammered United 6-1 at Old Trafford 

However, United have responded well from their humiliation last September, losing just one of seven games against their Big Six rivals and enter Sunday’s contest looking to move one step closer to clinching Champions League qualification for next season.

And Maguire says he is ready to meet England team-mate Kane at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, who he describes as ‘one of the best strikers in the world’. 

‘It’s a great game to be involved in,’ Maguire told United’s official website. 

‘We have more than enough to go there and get the three points. It’s two squads that you expect to be fighting at the top end of the table. We’ve got ourselves into a good position and they’re wanting to bridge that gap.

United have since recovered well and hold an 11-point advantage over Tottenham currently 

‘I want to play in the biggest games possible against the best players; that’s why I joined this club. Harry [Kane] is one of those.

‘I know him from England really well. He’s a top striker, one of the best in the world and he does it season after season, scores goals after goals.

‘He’ll be ready for battle and I’ll be ready for battle. May the best man win.

‘It’s not just individuals; it’s a team effort. As a defensive unit we’ve got to be strong, go there and get a clean sheet and give the team the best opportunity to win the game.’

Maguire, 28, says ‘may the best man win’ as the two Englishman prepare for battle on Sunday

United are five wins away from securing a top four finish this campaign, and a second-place finish would represent an improvement on last season’s final position of third.

‘We need to beat the points tally and if we finish above third [last year’s position] then obviously that’s even better,’ Maguire added.

‘At this club, we want to be winning the Premier League,’ Maguire said, ‘but we also know that we’ve got a lot of improvement to be made to enable that. That’s what we’re striving to do. We need to kick on for the remaining games.’