Ruben Amorim must be hoping that the quote “There’s an opportunity in every crisis” is true, because he suffered quite a few crises against Spurs.
Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko came off with injury issues, and a third injury blow for Man Utd was reported after the game finished.
While all three injury blows are to key players, it is also an opportunity for those on the fringes of the squad to make an impact now.
With fewer games, they were not getting enough opportunities. One forgotten wonderkid, in particular, has a greater chance of being unleashed after Harry Maguire’s injury.
Harry Maguire’s injury opens the door for Ayden Heaven
Maguire is mainly seen as the central centre-back in Ruben Amorim’s back three, but he has made no secret of the fact that he sees Matthijs de Ligt in that position in the long term.
Now that Maguire is out, expect De Ligt to come inside, with Leny Yoro settling on the right, while Luke Shaw continues on the left.
Ayden Heaven comes into the picture after that point, because, so far, he has been Shaw’s backup, but with Maguire’s injury, he jumps up a place in the pecking order.
Heaven’s breakout last season was the story of the season, with the youngster playing so well that Amorim asked Jason Wilcox to sign more such players!
However, a settled defence this season has reduced Heaven’s minutes, but he has managed to make an impact even in limited minutes.
With the festive stretch of the season approaching, Shaw’s minutes need to be managed, and with Yoro occupied with first-choice status on the right, Heaven becomes Shaw’s natural deputy.
Lisandro Martinez’s return factors into the equation as well, but nobody will be expecting Amorim to throw him into the deep end after such a serious injury.
Regardless of right, left, or centre, the absence of one centre-back immediately increases the chances for Heaven to get more minutes.
Ruben Amorim facing a squad challenge
After extensively rotating the squad last season due to the impending Europa League final and brutal injuries, Amorim is having the polar opposite problem this season.
With one game every week, he needs to placate the players’ need for minutes, most of whom were loyal soldiers for him when he needed them last season.
Heaven grabbed that surprise opportunity last season with both hands, and the raised profile from that breakout has merited him more minutes this season.
This is the next step in Amorim’s growth as a manager, because telling the role players to sacrifice one year of their careers, since there are fewer games to rotate, won’t sit right with the players.
A compromise needs to be found, and Maguire’s injury is an opportunity in the crisis for that exact reason.
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