Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro are determined to change their fortunes at Manchester United
Altay Bayindir, Ayden Heaven, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Diego Leon, Leny Yoro, Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United in action during a first team training session
The defensive duo are sending a message to Michael Carrick(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
View Image
Manchester United duo Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro are hell-bent on forcing their way into Michael Carrick's starting XI. Since Carrick's interim appointment, United have claimed four victories from five matches as they target a return to Champions League football next campaign.
Carrick, 44, has switched United back to a 4-2-3-1 formation - a marked departure from the 3-4-3 system employed under Ruben Amorim before the Portuguese boss was dismissed last month. The tactical shift has been warmly received, with United producing a string of encouraging displays and results.
That isn't the only change the Englishman has overturned since his return to Old Trafford in January. Amorim had prohibited players from taking short breaks during international windows, but the squad are now permitted to enjoy mini getaways under Carrick's stewardship.
Following United's early FA Cup elimination, the Premier League giants find themselves in the middle of a 13-day gap between fixtures. With their next outing on February 23 against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the club's players have had plenty of opportunity to take a mid-season break.
Whilst Bruno Fernandes and Senne Lammens recently seized the chance to head home to Portugal and Belgium respectively, Heaven and Yoro chose Dubai as their destination, where they have continued to train with the aim of enhancing their prospects of breaking into the first team.
The 20-year-old Frenchman may have set United back upwards of £60million in 2024, yet he has featured for just 23 minutes since Carrick took the reins, despite having started 12 league matches under Amorim.
Heaven earned eight consecutive league starts under Amorim and Darren Fletcher, but has managed just one minute of action since Carrick's appointment, which came in last month's victory over Manchester City.
On Wednesday, 19-year-old Heaven shared several photographs on Instagram of himself during a training stint in Dubai, with Yoro appearing alongside him in a number of the shots.
Liked more than 122,000 times, the post caught the attention of the club captain, with Fernandes leaving a tongue-in-cheek comment which read: "Did you go to Dubai just for some extra trainings?" The remark was accompanied by a smirking face emoji, suggesting the 31-year-old's comment was made in jest.
Despite the additional graft put in by the young pair, it remains unclear whether Yoro or Heaven will feature in United's fixture against the Toffees next Monday evening, with Carrick showing a preference for the centre-back partnership of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.
Content Image
Content Image