A penalty shootout defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford dumped Manchester United out of the FA Cup.
Ruben Amorim’s only hope for silverware this season now lies with the Europa League – which is also the only route to qualifying for Europe next season.
Manchester United resume their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening with the first leg of their Round of 16 clash against Real Sociedad.
Amorim will have no choice but to rotate his side again after energy levels were depleted over 120 minutes against Fulham. Harry Maguire is “very, very tired” according to Bruno Fernandes, and he was not the only United player struggling towards the end of the match.
Matthijs de Ligt was a titan against Fulham but the Dutchman was struggling with cramp in the final minutes.
It means Amorim will have to rely on some of his other defensive options, including January signing Ayden Heaven.
Ayden Heaven enjoyed perfect Man United debut
With Maguire struggling to continue, Heaven came off the bench for the 30 minutes of extra time. The 18-year-old was signed by United from Arsenal’s academy in the January window.
United fans were impressed by Heaven, with the new signing coming into a chaotic cup tie and providing a sense of calm at the back.
Heaven’s stats from the match show that he was near flawless during his 30-minute display.
| Minutes played | 30 |
| Touches | 11 |
| Passes completed | 100% (6/6) |
| Aerial Duels won | 100% (2/2) |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Shots taken | 1 |
| Accurate long balls | 100% (1/1) |
Heaven completed all six of his attempted passes and also won both of his aerial duels. He only lost possession once and provided some much-needed energy in defence to stop Fulham’s counter-attacks.
It was only last week that Heaven impressed on his Under-21s debut for United, but it seems he has found a spot in the first team that he will want to keep hold of.
Ayden Heaven will be important for Ruben Amorim this season
Heaven joined United in January knowing that the Red Devils planned on bringing him straight into the first-team squad.
However, what he likely didn’t expect is to make his debut so soon but injuries have shoved him up the pecking order.
Lisandro Martinez’s ACL injury means he will be out for months, and it has put extra strain on both Maguire and De Ligt.
READ MORE: Where Ayden Heaven sits in Man United pecking order as Ruben Amorim says he is ‘ready to play’
Leny Yoro has impressed under Amorim and looks to be a key part of United’s future defence, and it seems Heaven could soon join him.
With only the Europa League to play for this season, fans can expect to see more of Heaven as Amorim brings him through as a regular first-team player.
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