Man Utd star Mary Earps sends message to England debutant Grace Clinton after goalkeeper is benched for Lionesses' Austria thrashing

The goalkeeper had an unusual vantage point for England's 7-2 thrashing of Austria in Andalusia on Friday night with manager Sarina Wiegman opting to give Chelsea's Hannah Hampton some international experience.

But Earps was delighted by what she saw from the sidelines, in particular with Clinton, who earned a call up after some impressive performances on loan at Tottenham Hotspur this term.

"So buzzing for you Grace Clinton. What a debut," posted the England number one.

Instagram @1maryearps

While Earps sat out Friday night's romp in southern Spain, Wiegman made it clear that she will keep the gloves when England return to competitive action.

After a stellar year during which Earps swept up a bewildering number of individual trophies, England's number one has regularly paid tribute to Wiegman, emphasising the role that Dutch manager played in restoring her confidence after being dropped by the previous management team.

The Lionesses face Italy in another friendly on Tuesday in Algeciras. Fans will be keen to see if Wiegman picks another experimental team or goes back to something resembling a full-strength line up.