Roy Keane and Gary Neville have both praised an ‘outstanding’ Manchester United player who has also gained Ruben Amorim’s trust.
Manchester United currently sit sixth in the Premier League table after 18 games and they are only three points away from Liverpool in fourth-place.
It is hard to assess the season so far for Ruben Amorim’s side. They are in a decent position in the table and have won some important games but they’ve also dropped silly points in other matches.
United have two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five outings. It is neither awful or inspiring, but there are some clear positives for Amorim.
One of those is the recent performances of Ayden Heaven, who has started in five consecutive games while Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are injured.
Keane and Neville agree about ‘outstanding’ United player
Heaven’s standout display came in the 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day, where the Reds had to defend strongly in the second half to secure three points.
The youngster was labelled as ‘outstanding’ by Gary Neville on commentary, who named the defender as his Man of the Match, and Roy Keane also had a similar assessment of him.
“He did very well,” the ex-United midfielder added on Sky Sports.
“The game suited him. He has learnt his trade. These are basic parts of defending. It gives you confidence. Outstanding.”
Fans have been delighted with Heaven in recent games after his initial struggles in his first start in the Premier League this season against West Ham at the start of December.
Heaven is growing in consistency and confidence
Heaven looked far from the pace when Callum Wilson was fighting against him in that first start and he was substituted at the break because of those struggles.
But he has continued to play and grow in consistency and confidence. Some of his touches and passes against Newcastle showed how his calmness can aid the team.
Maguire and De Ligt are likely to return to action soon but that will not simply mean that Heaven drops out of the team for the senior options.
His quality on the ball could be the main thing that gives him a chance to keep his place. Amorim has previously said that De Ligt needs to improve on the ball.
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