Ayden Heaven was forced off with a stretcher during Manchester United’s win over Leicester City last weekend.
Ruben Amorim already has a list of injuries to deal with for the remainder of Manchester United’s season and Ayden Heaven’s setback brought fear of a depleted defence.
United know all about injury issues from recent seasons. Last year, for example, Erik ten Hag’s second year in charge went miserably due to missing key personnel for large parts of the season – but the Reds still managed to go all the way in the FA Cup.
A strong finish to the season could see United lift another trophy after United reached the Europa League quarter-finals. That will be everyone’s objective for the remainder of the season – for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos as well as Amorim and United’s first-team.
Amorim needs to keep his players fit to achieve that, so the head coach would’ve feared the worst after Heaven was forced off early in United’s 3-0 win over Leicester City.
Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Ayden Heaven injury boost
United ran a series of tests on Heaven this week, although the club has remained tight-lipped on the defender’s diagnosis.
An update from Amorim is not expected until the Portuguese coach does his pre-match press duties ahead of next week’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest.
Heaven left the King Power Stadium wearing a protective boot but the defender did not require crutches as he walked unaided. The 18-year-old posted a message on Instagram for his fans which read: “Thank you guys for all the support! I have read all your messages, and I’m doing really well and recovering fast.”
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Not wanting to miss the rest of the season, Heaven is on the right path to recovery and new reports suggest it won’t be long before he returns to action in the first-team.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Heaven is now out of his protective boot and has a chance of resuming training after the international break.
Heaven, who has made four appearances for United since leaving Arsenal in January, has until April to prepare for the next fixture. The inexperienced youngster has impressed while profiting from injury issues at the back, with Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Jonny Evans all sidelined.
The former Arsenal academy star stood out in the two games he started in so far – against Real Sociedad and Leicester City – and he will be hoping to build on that against Forest.
This update will come as a relief to United fans worried that they wouldn’t see Heaven kick a ball again this season.
Manchester United injury list
As we approach the end of the 2025/26 season, Amorim will be trying to get his squad together for one last hard push at winning football matches.
Unfortunately, life will get harder for United’s head coach if the injury list grows any longer.
Amorim already has a lot of injuries to deal with, especially in defence, as the list shows below:
Player Injury
Lisandro Martinez Knee
Amad Diallo Ankle/foot
Luke Shaw Calf/shin/heel
Kobbie Mainoo Other
Leny Yoro Ankle/foot
Harry Maguire Other
Ayden Heaven Ankle/foot
Altay Bayindir Other
Jonny Evans Lower back
Manchester United injured players
United will hope to have a few of these players back before the end of the season to aid Amorim’s pursuit of glory in the Europa League.