Veteran shot-stopper Tom Heaton has entered Manchester United’s ‘exclusive’ 40 and over club at Old Trafford after celebrating his 40th birthday on Wednesday.
Tom Heaton is widely regarded among the Manchester United first-team squad’s locker room as a key leadership figure since his return to Old Trafford in 2021.
The 40-year-old experienced Red Devils star had come through the United youth academy during the Sir Alex Ferguson era before he left the Premier League club.
Heaton went on to play for the likes of Burnley, Cardiff City, Bristol City and Aston Villa before he signed for United during the Old Trafford reign of Erik ten Hag.
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Tom Heaton and Senne Lammens warm up for the Premier League match between Wolves and Manchester United at the Molineux in Wolverhampton, England, in 2025.
Photo by Stuart Leggett/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Michael Carrick watching his Man Utd side play Leeds
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Tom Heaton is in Man Utd’s Premier League era players of 40 or over alongside Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar
Tom Heaton has only made three senior appearances for the Red Devils in his second spell, including marking his club debut in 2021 in the Champions League.
The former England international has been a third-choice option for Michael Carrick amid the first-team roles of Senne Lammens and Altay Bayindir at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United’s official website celebrated Heaton turning 40 years old today and spotlighted that he had reached a ‘landmark’ milestone for the Red Devils.
Heaton has now become only the third registered Man Utd player to have been at Old Trafford in their 40s since the Premier League’s inception in 1992.
Both Edwin van der Sar and Ryan Giggs reached the ‘40s club’ at United ahead of Heaton, who is under contract with the club until the end of the current season.
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Tom Heaton is fourth overall in Man Utd’s elusive ‘40s club’ at Old Trafford across the Red Devils’ entire history
Heaton has not taken to the field at the age of 40 for the Red Devils’ first-team squad in the same way that Edwin van der Sar and Ryan Giggs had done before.
The former Burnley and Aston Villa player also entered the 40s club at Man Utd as the fourth player overall in the Red Devils’ longstanding history as a football team.
Joining United legends Van der Sar and Giggs and Heaton in the Red Devils’ club is Billy Meredith, who reached the age of 46 in his final appearance for Man Utd.
The Red Devils triggered Heaton’s contract extension last summer during the reign of Ruben Amorim and his current deal with the Premier League club expires in June.
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