Harry Maguire has explained why Ayden Heaven may not be playing for Manchester United, following the teenager’s limited minutes so far this season.
Ayden Heaven joined Manchester United from Arsenal in January for £1.5 million, despite having never started a professional match and featuring only once as a substitute for the North London side.
Brought in as a long-term project under Rúben Amorim, his arrival was met with doubts from supporters who questioned if the 18-year-old was anywhere near ready for senior football. Heaven, however, quickly proved otherwise.
Thrown straight into demanding fixtures against Fulham, former club Arsenal, and Real Sociedad, the young defender showed a maturity and composure that belied his age. Amorim even joked that Heaven might be “too calm,” while Wayne Rooney hailed his performances as “fantastic.”
Injuries limited him to just six outings — including a knock against Leicester City followed by a setback in recovery — but he closed the season strongly with a commanding display in United’s final-day win over Aston Villa, a timely reminder of his significant potential.
Maguire’s defence of Shaw shows why Heaven may not be starting
However, so far this season, Ayden Heaven has started just one of United’s six fixtures across all competitions, with his only Premier League minutes coming in the form of a three-minute cameo against Fulham in August.
Instead, it has been Luke Shaw who has started at left centre-back – Heaven’s best position – in the Premier League so far. The defender has received criticism for a few of his recent performances, too.
However, Shaw’s fellow defender Harry Maguire has leapt to his teammate’s defence, stating that the reason every manager, including Amorim, has been starting Shaw is that he is an “excellent” player.
“You don’t play at this club 250 or 300 times if you’re first and foremost not a good player,” Maguire told club media.
“Luke’s an excellent footballer, and every manager that comes in, he gets questioned a lot. That’s what happens at this club.
“Every manager that comes in plays Luke, and there’s a reason why they play Luke, because he’s an excellent footballer, always has been and always will be.”
Martínez’ return could be good news for Heaven
Lisandro Martínez is set to return to the squad soon, and although it could be argued that this could bump Heaven down to third choice for the position, it actually may provide the 19-year-old with more chances to play.
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So far this season, Shaw has been deployed as United’s left-sided centre-back, but once Martínez is back, he is expected to retain his position as the club’s first-choice option on that side.
Shaw has previously spoken out, stating that he feels he would rather play at left wing-back. Once the Argentina international returns, Shaw could be moved to compete with Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu on the left flank, leaving Heaven as Martínez’s direct deputy.
The 27-year-old is a crucial player for Amorim, but the head coach will be wary of using him too often and risking yet another injury. So, Heaven may end up being used more often to protect Martínez from playing too many minutes, while Shaw is permanently relocated to competing with Dorgu.
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