New Delhi: Manchester United have reportedly reached an agreement for Arsenal academy graduate Ayden Heaven, going ahead of Barcelona and Eintracht Frankfurt. According to news reports, Heaven is scheduled for medical at Man United and will depart from Emirates to Old Trafford.
While the 18-year-old has struggled previously against the Red Devils, he has been in Mikel Arteta’s squad and will be a brilliant addition for the United squad. Heaven is expected to be a backup for Lisandro Martinez. He has already visited Old Trafford and even watched the side beat Rangers in the Europa League.
🚨🔴 Ayden Heaven to Manchester United, here we go!
Exclusive story from last week confirmed as 18 year old centre back’s set to leave Arsenal and join #MUFC.
Medical booked after he rejected new deal from Arsenal and Eintracht approaches.
Agreement being formally sealed. pic.twitter.com/Q12q8JC2fs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2025
Heaven comes from Enfield, London and started West Ham United Academy at the age of eight and stayed in the club for years before joining Arsenal. He is set to become the second teenager to be coming from the Gunners academy, with Chido Obi-Martin joining from the North London academy to United.
Before coming to Arsenal, Heaven was briefly with a Sunday League team called Levels, after leaving West Ham. The team helped Heaven keep his fitness for the top-class football that he believed he had potential for. He got the chance to try out for Chelsea but after an extended period of football, Heavens wasn’t accepted by the club.
For a month he also trained with Fulham but the travel length was getting too tiring for Heaven and getting an opportunity with Arsenal meant it was a no-brainer to go for the Gunners, a side he had been an ardent fan of. Following rapid growth, Heavens decided to be converted as a defender.
He was taking notes on tactics deployed by players like Virgil van Dijk, Antonio Rudiger and Alessandro Bastoni and having a close relationship with William Saliba meant that he was getting tips on improving his game. Heavens has confessed that he spends a lot of his free time watching the top defenders of Europe.
How Manchester United can benefit from Ayden Heaven’s addition?
His biggest challenge would be to make it through as a centre-back in English football who has a much harder task making an impression. However, he can also play in left-sided defence along with his box-to-box defence. With Ruben Amorim deploying the 3-4-3 tactics, United often is dependent on centre-backs who can easily step forward in their channels and being left-footed explains United targeting him.
Along with Martinez, the only player who has shown slight potential is Luke Shaw but he hasn’t been the fittest of chaps in Amorim’s squad. At 189 cm Heaven will be an asset to United as they try to move upwards into the top ten of the table in the Premier League.
Manchester United have reportedly roped in Arsenal academy graduate Ayden Heaven. Here’s a look into how the teenage defender might fit in Rube Amorim’s plans. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
