Ruben Amorim’s call for leaders at Manchester United has been answered by another player who is performing even better in games than he does in training.
It was just last season that Ruben Amorim lamented a lack of leadership in the Man Utd dressing room, a problem that has since been addressed.
The leadership group has its role, and players like Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui are emerging as influential figures even beyond the appointed captains.
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However, Amorim has now revealed that United have got their newest leader who leads by example in games by doing even better than he does in training.
Ruben Amorim makes interesting Ayden Heaven point
Ayden Heaven has come out of nowhere this season to fully take advantage of the injury crisis in defence to make himself undroppable.
Having played just three minutes of league football by October, he has since become the first name on the teamsheet, earning Amorim’s trust.
For his part, Amorim has praised Heaven’s growth, which the player has repaid by putting in consistent performances.
It’s clear that in a team that is missing so many senior players, Heaven has put his hand up and tried to become the solution instead of adding to the problems.
Amorim praised Heaven for playing beyond his years in a recent interview with Sky, anointing him United’s newest leader.
He said: “I really like Ayden. He’s really humble. He’s not looking for excuses. He’s just, ‘Okay, I understand’. I don’t have that feeling when I select Ayden that he’s going to struggle.
“He’s really confident, and he’s better in games than even in training, and that reveals that he is a leader. Then, of course, when you train with players like Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire, you understand what it takes to play for Manchester United.
“It’s not a big concern when I select Ayden. I don’t have that feeling that I need to select this guy or that guy on his side to help him during the game.”
Heaven is the biggest win for Ineos’ recruitment
Amorim’s also said that Heaven did not kick up a fuss when he was not playing, which, in the manager’s mind, is as big a plus as his form when he’s playing.
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“I think we’ve said it every time he’s played: he’s been excellent. He’s done his job and hasn’t looked out of place in any way.”
Wes Brown
Heaven has given countless examples of his quality on the pitch, but the way he adjusted to becoming a fringe player to start the season gave an example of his mentality as well.
It would have been easy to sulk after taking a step back from last season’s breakout, but he just focused on improving and took his chance when it arrived.
That is the biggest win for Ineos’ recruitment, because it shows the background work that went into signing him beyond his ability on the pitch.
Heaven made a mockery of the transfer fee with his breakout last season alone. Currently, he’s easily worth 60 times that fee and probably a player United would put on the “hands-off” list.
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