Ruben Amorim has silenced his critics in recent weeks by playing Manchester United youngsters in the place of injured or absent first-team stars.
Ideally, Ruben Amorim would want to be patient and implement academy players into a winning side, but several injuries and AFCON absences have forced his hand.
Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher debuted for the first team in the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. Just days later, Amorim ended the match against Newcastle with a defence made entirely of teenagers.
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Ayden Heaven has been mightily impressive in the heart of defence, making five consecutive starts in the Premier League in the absence of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt.
Amorim has confirmed that both senior defenders are likely to miss the upcoming Wolves match, and that provides a golden opportunity not only for Heaven, but also for fellow academy graduate Tyler Fredricson.
Tyler Fredricson can follow Ayden Heaven success
Heaven has been hogging the headlines recently, and deservedly so for his impressive performances. But it has meant that Fredricson has somewhat gone under the radar.
Fredricson returned to first-team training at the start of the month after not being spotted for weeks, with it widely believed that he was recovering from injury.
In the final minutes against Newcastle, Amorim showed ultimate faith in Fredricson by bringing him on in place of Lisandro Martinez to protect the clean sheet and earn a vital three points.
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With De Ligt and Maguire still out, Fredricson must be eager to emulate Heaven’s success and fight his way up Amorim’s pecking order.
Last season, Fredricson was a standout towards the end of the campaign when Amorim was regularly playing youngsters in league matches. If he can find that form again, he has an opportunity to stick around in the first team.
Tyler Fredricson is running out of time
When Maguire and De Ligt return to fitness, they will no doubt rise straight back to the top of Amorim’s defensive options.
It will prove extremely difficult to drop Heaven, but with Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw also options at centre-back, Fredricson is at risk of being forgotten once again.
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Plus, with Amorim going to a back four, there are even fewer opportunities for defenders to start matches.
If there was a time in Fredricson’s career where he needs to take full advantage of every minute on the pitch, it is now, and he will hope for an opportunity to impress against Wolves on Tuesday evening.
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