Ayden Heaven has caught the eye for Manchester United in his early appearances for the club.
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Ayden Heaven of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Carrington
Ayden Heaven has caught the eye in his early appearances for Manchester United
A matter of months ago Ayden Heaven was brushed aside by a physical Rasmus Hojlund on his way to scoring for Manchester United in pre-season against Arsenal.
Fast-forward eight months and the news of Heaven's injury overshadowed the return to the scoresheet of Hojlund when United swept aside Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League. The Dane ended his barren run with the opener but the major talking point after the match was the extent of Heaven's injury.
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Just four games into the teenager's United career, his absence is already keenly felt. In part that is down to injuries elsewhere in the backline but make no mistake, the 18-year-old has made an immediate impact on Ruben Amorim's team.
While he is still in the early days of a blossoming career, the way he has slotted seamlessly into the side has impressed his manager and players alike.
Amorim has spoken glowingly of the centre back and Wayne Rooney was quick to praise the former Arsenal man during his analysis from the King Power Stadium.
All this for a player who doesn't even have 250 minutes of senior football to his name. That summer day in the States provided a hint to Heaven's character. He was outmuscled by Hojlund as United opened the scoring against the Gunners, but didn't let the mistake effect him.
He showed character and quality to play his part in Arsenal turning the game around and winning 2-1, with his calmness in possession and ball-playing ability evident. This was a player who began his career as a wide midfielder, modelling himself on players like Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez.
He was a boyhood Arsenal fan but his route to the Emirates was far from straightforward. Heaven was released by West Ham as a youngster and organised trials at a host of clubs in London, leading to short stays with Chelsea and Fulham before he was picked up by the Gunners and subsequently moved back into defence after a growth spurt at 14.
He acclimatised to the positional switch and spent his time studying those at the top of the game, including senior teammate William Saliba. That led to impressive showings in the academy, an Arsenal debut against Preston in the Carabao Cup and a subsequent January move to United.
Injuries might have since accelerated his path into the team, but Heaven has accepted the chance with both hands. He impressed against Real Sociedad in Europe and on Sunday watched on as Hojlund scored again. But this time, he was celebrating, not chasing.
The hope is his injury isn't a serious one and that Heaven can help lead the United recovery from their nightmare season.