Ayden Heaven’s absence vs Leeds is raising questions for Michael Carrick because centre-back wasn’t even his only role.
Michael Carrick had the chance to soft-launch Man Utd’s potential partnership for the next decade by starting Ayden Heaven with Leny Yoro.
However, not only did Heaven not start, but he played zero minutes yet again in a game that saw Lisandro Martinez get sent off as well.
Centre-back was the no-brainer position for him, but another player proved that Heaven should have played another role for the first time for United against Leeds.
Manchester United v Leeds United - Premier League
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Is Michael Carrick the right man? United have only won one of the last four games…
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Ayden Heaven should have played in midfield
Kobbie Mainoo’s injury gave Carrick a massive selection headache, and his solution to the injury wasn’t the most inspired one.
In Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, he selected two midfielders whose skill sets overlap with each other instead of complementing them.
As a result, United missed the progressiveness and press-resistance in midfield, which is where Heaven comes into the picture.
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Heaven came through the Arsenal ranks as a midfielder, and his talent on the ball, be it through passing or by carrying, is undeniable.
He’s effectively Lisandro Martinez with verticality, which makes his ceiling scary for the opponents.
As Ugarte struggled to string two passes together and repeatedly lost the ball while trying to play a forward pass, it was impossible not to think about what a progressive player could have done.
Manuel Ugarte needs to be away from the buildup phase
Bruno Fernandes could have played deeper, as he did when United went down to ten men, and the lesson learned is that Ugarte needs to be kept away from the buildup as much as possible.
Was Manuel Ugarte that bad against Leeds, or is he just an easy scapegoat for bigger problems?
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Ugarte’s form improved when he functioned almost as a quasi centre-back after Martinez’s sending off.
In that role, his only remit was to win the ball back by eating up the ground and play the simple sideways pass to Fernandes.
A player like that can’t start in midfield alongside Casemiro, so Heaven not playing in this game is a big question mark for Carrick.
He isn’t a player whom Carrick has trusted on the best of days, but push came to shove against Leeds, and Heaven still didn’t come off the bench.
That’s a worry, and Carrick needs to be probed on why that keeps happening.
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