Manchester United returned to winning ways on Tuesday night with a splendid 3-2 victory over Roma in the Champions League.
The Red Devils trailed 2-0 after just 17 minutes at Old Trafford but made a terrific comeback after the break to secure a much-needed win.
Bruno Fernandes scored from the penalty spot before Matheus Cunha made headlines with two late goals to end United’s nine-game winless streak.
Despite the win, there were underlying concerns in the defensive department. Ayden Heaven in particular had a disappointing display.
Heaven and Diogo Dalot were caught largely out of position as Matias Soule was gifted an easy chance to open the scoring for Roma.
Dalot was mostly to blame for staying higher up the field, but Heaven should be criticised too, having also missed a headed clearance in the lead-up.
Things went from bad to worse for Heaven as he conceded a penalty for a blatant handball. Donyell Malen comfortably converted the spot-kick.
Heaven had another moment where he was physically outsmarted. The centre-back eventually picked up a yellow card before Lisandro Martinez replaced him in the 75th minute.
We feel Heaven should be dropped to the bench after an underwhelming display.
With Martinez suspended after his sending-off at Chelsea last weekend, manager Michael Carrick must unleash Matthijs de Ligt in the heart of United’s backline when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
Carrick had the opportunity to pair De Ligt and Maguire in the starting XI on Tuesday, but he chose to field Heaven instead, a decision which did not prove worthwhile.
Martinez replaced the teenager after his late caution, while De Ligt came on in the dying seconds.
Ideally, it should have been the other way around, given Martinez is suspended for the next league match.
In our opinion, Carrick should resist the prospect of starting Heaven alongside Maguire again, given the Arsenal graduate has struggled this campaign when under pressure.
The 20-year-old has been guilty of several unforced errors and could have another difficult game against Unai Emery’s side, whose midfielders and forwards possess a high work rate.
United ideally need a centre-back with better ball control and distribution under the press, and it appears a no-brainer decision to pick De Ligt over Heaven against the Villans.
De Ligt, signed for £42.8 million from Bayern Munich in 2024, has made just one start this season against Como, where he struggled after returning from a lengthy back injury. Since then, the Dutchman has barely played for a fortnight, but he has had the opportunity to build his fitness.
The other choice would be to field Yoro alongside Maguire. In that case, Diogo Dalot could move to right-back with Noussair Mazraoui possibly on the opposite end. Carrick may prefer minimal positional changes in the backline, which means De Ligt would be an ideal replacement for Heaven on Sunday.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com