Ruben Amorim on the Old Trafford touchline as his Manchester United side take on Sunderland in the Premier League | Gareth Copley/Getty Imagesplaceholder image
Ruben Amorim on the Old Trafford touchline as his Manchester United side take on Sunderland in the Premier League | Gareth Copley/Getty Images | Getty Images
Man United beat Wolves 4-1 on Monday night to move up to sixth in the Premier League table - and a young defender stood out
It was a performance that saw several United players stand out for Amorim, not only in attack but also in defence. The Red Devils will now head into their next game against Bournemouth next week, which could see them climb up to the top four in the Premier League.
Heading into the Bournemouth game, Amorim will have a selection headache, though, as he trusted a younger, unproven player against Wolves, and he delivered player of the match level numbers.
Ayden Heaven is a colossus for Man United
Amorim trusted 19-year-old defender Ayden Heaven to start against Wolves on Monday, and it is fair to say that he certainly took his chance. The Arsenal academy product played 69 minutes in the game and was perfect in his defence of the Man United goal.
He won 100% of his duels at Molineux, provided seven clearances, three ball recoveries, and one block. He also managed to touch the ball 49 times and even became an attacking weapon. Heaven’s passing was excellent too, making 36 of 36 passes.
Just by looking at how he was on the ball, Heaven looked very mature for a 19-year-old, not only dribbling, but his passing was assured and positive. He was able to help United in transition, too, which won’t go unnoticed for Amorim.
Heaven joined Man United in January 2025 after impressing in Arsenal’s academy. United paid just £1.5m for him, and he now looks like a top-quality Premier League centre-back, especially considering his age.
What has Amorim said about Heaven?
After the Wolves win on Monday night, Ruben Amorim was very complimentary of the 19-year-old, suggesting that he was incredibly impressed with his performance against Rob Edwards’ side on Monday night.
Amorim said in his post-match press conference: “Ayden has a great future. He’s really hard to beat. He has adapted really well to the centre. He did really well man-to-man, and I really enjoyed seeing him with the ball.”
Furthermore, the defender himself was very pleased with his performance against Wolves. He was quoted by UnitedinFocus after the game: “I’ve had to be really patient. I feel like the manager is trusting me more now. Every time I play, I’m doing better each time. I just want to develop and get better.”
Heading into United’s next game against Bournemouth, Amorim may decide to trust in Heaven to start again. Especially considering that Noussair Mazraoui will leave for AFCON soon, and Leny Yoro’s recent form has been very up and down. Heaven could be in line for a lot more minutes.
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