Stoney and Earps ready for Spurs test

Stoney also revealed on Friday that the Reds are ready to welcome back key players Alessia Russo and Leah Galton after injury, and it's clear the squad is in good spirits, especially after a dominant 6-0 win against Burnley in the Vitality Women's FA Cup.

"[There is] a really positive atmosphere in the camp," Stoney explained.

"Everybody who was fit for last week is fit for this week. The bonus we do have is we have Leah Galton and Alessia Russo available for the squad so that's a real boost for us.

"I thought it was a good performance [against Burnley]. We kept a clean sheet, reduced them to no shots on goal and scored some good goals."

Reds goalkeeper Mary Earps agreed with the boss, highlighting the importance of the Burnley game for giving opportunities to players on the fringe of the squad.

"I think it's what we needed on the back of a tough month or so," Earps said.

"The pleasing thing was a lot of different people got minutes, [we had] different goalscorers and got to work on different patterns of play."

Earps came off for 19-year-old understudy Fran Bentley after 70 minutes against Burnley.

"I'm really, really chuffed for her. We're a tight-knit group of goalkeepers so I was really happy that she could get on and play."

Bentley was one of a few players to get a rare opportunity, including Tara Bourne, who was given her debut by Stoney at Burnley.

"I think all the players really delighted for her," said Stoney.

"Tara has been in our environment now for a few months and has done really well, and deservedly made her debut. It was really pleasing and a really calm and assured performance from her.

"Our pathway is everything. It's the DNA of the football club and has been for many, many years and the women's team shouldn't be any different so to be able to progress those players into the first team is important. Our Regional Talent Centre is really important to us, we want to make sure that player can come in at the youth age groups and come all the way into the first team."

United's opponents on Sunday, Spurs, could be dragged into a serious relegation fight in the final weeks of the season. Both Stoney and Earps warned that the Reds could pay for underestimating them, though.

"I'm really surprised they're in and around that [end of the table]," Stoney said.

"We know that they'll come here with confidence having beaten Reading in the FA Cup. They'll come here with a point to prove as everyone does when they play us. It'll be a difficult game for us, they're very organised but I'm confident in our squad that we can get a result."

Earps agreed that teams come to play with United with a little bit of extra motivation. "It's definitely been a conversation internally, we know we've got a target on our back," she said.

"Everyone wants to beat United because it's a household name. I think that's just a huge compliment. If we execute our game plan how we intend to, I have every faith that we can win against anyone on our given day. I think it just helps you raise your standards. You just need to raise your performances which is only a good thing.

"If you know that there's an extra bite in every single game, that excites me. I want to be playing at the top, it needs to be challenging and then it makes the win feel even better."

Sunday's game against Tottenham at Leigh Sports Village kicks off at 12:30 BST. Fans in the UK can watch the action live on the BBC, and a full replay will be shown on MUTV at 16:30 BST. Follow @ManUtdWomen on Twitter for live updates throughout the game.