Manchester United will welcome Lisandro Martinez back into the fold against Sunderland next weekend following his three-game suspension.
Lisandro Martinez has missed out on the last three games due to the red card he was shown for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair against Leeds.
Since then, Michael Carrick has led his side to three wins in a row, including Manchester United’s win against Liverpool on Sunday, which wrapped up the race for Champions League football.
Martinez has been replaced really effectively by Ayden Heaven, as he has been great in his three starts. The result of this, Martinez now has a challenge he hasn’t ever faced at United.
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Ayden Heaven should keep Lisandro Martinez out of the team
Martinez’s suspension ends now, meaning he will be in the squad against Sunderland next Saturday as United play the first of three dead rubber games, looking to nail down third.
However, despite usually being straight back into the starting line-up, Martinez won’t be sure that he starts because, for the first time, he faces competition for the left-centre-back position.
This is Heaven, who quite simply has been so good in Martinez’s absence that he cannot be dropped.
Martinez hasn’t had this issue before, usually returning from injury and welcomed back as a key player, but with his availability a concern, Carrick might be inclined to treat Heaven as the number one going forward.
Heaven’s performances have been superb, looking like one of the best in the league right now, opposed to the youngster he was treated as when Carrick first arrived.
For this reason, against Sunderland, it should be Heaven alongside Maguire at the back. Dropping Heaven sends the completely wrong message, and it would be up to Martinez to take his chances and change Carrick’s mind.
With United not chasing points, Carrick should stick with Heaven and maybe even give Leny Yoro the start.
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Heaven was brilliant for Manchester United against Liverpool
After dominating against Chelsea and Brentford, Heaven was also excellent against Liverpool, with it being no surprise that his starts have resulted in three wins.
Most impressively, Heaven won all six of the duels he contested against Liverpool (five ground and one aerial).
He also made six defensive contributions, one tackle, three clearances, and four recoveries.
United faced waves of Liverpool attacks in the second-half, but Heaven never looked worried or threatened by this, handling them with ease.
At 19, Heaven is already one of the best in the league and should be in with an outside shot of making the England squad.
As long as Heaven is playing like this, Martinez doesn’t stand a chance as he’s second best.
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