Joshua Zirkzee sends message to “incredible” Ayden Heaven after Man Utd vs Real Sociedad

Ayden Heaven was labelled as “unbelievable” after his impressive performance against Real Sociedad in his full Manchester United debut.

Manchester United progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after a comfortable 5-2 aggregate win over Real Sociedad.

The Reds won 4-1 on the night at Old Trafford in the second-leg and teenage defender Ayden Heaven started his first game for the club.

United’s January addition came into the backline alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to produce an “incredible” display.

Making your professional debut in the team’s most crucial game of the season should not be made to look that effortless.

Whether it was drawing fouls under pressure, breaking through the press, or making key tackles, Heaven checked every box on Thursday night.

Zirkzee sends message to Heaven

The 18-year-old defender was not the only standout performer of the night. Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick, earning the Man of the Match award, while Joshua Zirkzee played extremely well too.

Zirkzee has been finding his feet at Old Trafford in recent months after a dodgy start to life at the club and has also been building strong relationships with the younger players in the squad.

Prior reports have claimed that the Dutchman has been helping Chido Obi settle into the first-team dressing room and he also appears to be close with Heaven.

After the defender posted on Instagram after the win on Thursday, Zirkzee was quick to praise him in the replies, commenting six fire emojis.

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A post shared by Ayden Heaven (@aydenheaven)

Patrick Dorgu, Harry Amass and Obi were among the other United players to respond to Heaven’s post. Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman wrote, “so good,” in the comments too.

Heaven set to start Premier League clash vs Leicester

United have one remaining game before the international break, against Leicester City in the Premier League, and Heaven is a sure starter for that game now.

Amorim suggested that Leny Yoro would not be available for selection again until the beginning of next month when the team returns to action after the break.

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Harry Maguire could be fit for the game but it would make little sense to throw him back into the starting team when an extended rest for two weeks would ensure he is fully fit heading into the final stages of the season.

Heaven will get a deserved start after his excellent Europa League display, and United fans are excited to see if he can build on that.

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