Ayden Heaven made his first Premier League start for Manchester United in a 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday, but his evening was brought to a premature end with injury
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Ayden Heaven of Manchester United picks a serious injury before being stretchered off during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Manchester United at King Power Stadium on March 16, 2025
Ayden Heaven suffered an injury in Manchester United's clash against Leicester City
(Image: Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Ayden Heaven's resilience during Arsenal's pre-season campaign could prove beneficial as he recovers from an injury sustained against Leicester.
Heaven joined Manchester United in January for £1million without having played a senior match for Arsenal. But he did wear a Gunners shirt in pre-season, ironically enough when he faced off against the Red Devils. That match didn't start particularly well for Heaven as his error allowed Rasmus Hojlund to open the scoring.
However, he overcame that mistake to impress throughout the rest of the game as Heaven's then-employers Arsenal held on for a 2-1 victory. Mikel Arteta praised the youngster at the time, noting: "Very impressive. At 17, I don't know how many players are able to do that on a stage like this. He's lost a duel against one of the strongest and fastest players in the world, it can happen, but the reaction afterwards, the composure, the quality, the body language that he had were all remarkable. I'm really happy with him."
The teenage defender will have to showcase some of the attributes the Spaniard previously mentioned after sustaining an injury during his team's 3-0 victory over Leicester City on Sunday. Making his first Premier League start, Heaven had to leave the field in the 51st minute due to an awkward fall after clashing with Patson Daka, reports the Express.
He was seen in obvious distress and quickly signalled to the bench that he could not continue. The nature of the injury, which appeared to affect his ankle, led Sky Sports to decide against showing a replay of the incident. Heaven was stretchered off, and midfielder Toby Collyer was brought on as his replacement.
Post-match, United manager Ruben Amorim provided some insight into Heaven's condition, saying: "It's hard to know because we have to evaluate during the week. He already played well against Arsenal and Real Sociedad. Today for me was the most difficult game for him because we expect him to relax a bit, but he was so focused.
Ayden Heaven
The 18-year-old sustained an injury in United's 3-0 win over Leicester City
"It was clear today my players are at the limit. We are going to use this window to rest and recover, it will be good. The feeling is completely different. When we return it will be like starting from scratch." This was a statement that may have offered some comfort to United fans, especially after the youngster was seen leaving the King Power Stadium without the aid of crutches, hinting that his injury may not be as severe as initially thought.
Although he was wearing a protective boot, he was able to walk unaided. While there's no specific timeline for Heaven's comeback, he could potentially rejoin United's Premier League and Europa League campaigns following the international break.