Manchester United starlet Ayden Heaven picked up an injury against Leicester City on Sunday evening, with fans fearing the worst after he was stretchered off against the Foxes - but journalist Laurie Whitwell has stated on the 'Talk of the Devils' podcast that he's heard the defender has been at their Carrington training ground without a protective boot, implying that he could return to action sooner than first thought.
Heaven came into the first-team for the second half against Arsenal just over a week ago, putting in a strong performance against his former side to oversee a 1-1 draw against the Gunners - and that saw him included for his first start in the 4-1 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League last week.
Whitwell 'Told' Heaven Return May Not be Far Off
The youngster has been recovering well for the Red Devils
MixCollage-13-Mar-2025-09-07-PM-2504
A strong outing against the Spanish outfit saw the youngster included again against Leicester, and he kept a clean sheet until early in the second half, when he went off injured, being stretchered off in the east Midlands to leave fans fearing the worst for Ruben Amorim's already depleted backline.
Ayden Heaven's career statistics - record by competition
Competition
Premier League 2
Premier League
FA Cup
Europa League
UEFA Youth League
However, with the youngster posting on Instagram to state that he was recovering well, there has been hope that the injury won't be long-term - and Whitwell has now said that he's heard that the youngster has walked around the club's training base without a protective boot, hinting at an early return than first thought.
Speaking on the 'Talk of the Devils' podcast, the Athletic reporter said:
"I don't think it's as bad as it was feared, right? I think the fact that you guys saw him walk out - okay, he had a protective boot on - but no crutches.
"I'm told that he's been at Carrington without a protective boot. So, you know, you just surmise from that, that it's not going to be too long after the international break that he returns, but it looked very serious."
Lisandro Martinez is out until the end of the season, having suffered a knee injury at the start of February - whilst Leny Yoro has been ruled out until the start of April, Harry Maguire will be touch and go until after the international break, and Jonny Evans' return is unknown.
Heaven Development Could See Ruben Amorim Save Money
The young defender has been a breath of fresh air at Old Trafford
Ayden Heaven in action for Manchester United
Those injuries saw Heaven come into the first-team, but whether he will return for the trip to Nottingham Forest on April 1st remains to be seen just yet, with United having a crucial run of five games including the Manchester derby, an away trip to Newcastle United, and the Europa League quarter-final double header vs Lyon to contend with.
Amorim has been touted to sign a centre-back in recent months, but if Heaven can show that he is able to mix it with the club's best defensive stars, that could save the Portuguese tactician money to improve elsewhere in the summer transfer window. Various positions need to be improved upon, given that the Red Devils have suffered their worst-ever Premier League campaign since the competition began back in 1992, with even a top-half finish looking slightly out of reach.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 20-03-25.
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