- Manchester United have a gem in Ayden Heaven
- Signed from Arsenal for just £1m
- Lisandro Martinez faces big battle
Plenty of noise has surrounded Manchester United’s successful summer transfer window last year, which has fuelled a surprise return to the Champions League. And rightly so. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens are all hits in my books.
However, it is not left-field to suggest that United’s best signing since INEOS overhauled the recruitment team arrived earlier in 2025. The Red Devils’ £1million capture of Arsenal centre-back Ayden Heaven could go down as one of the greatest coups in Premier League history.
At 19, Heaven has already established himself as a first-team regular at Old Trafford, featuring in all 37 matchday squads this season and making 18 appearances. And while United look to have unearthed a gem from one of their greatest rivals, it could spell the end of Lisandro Martinez in Manchester.
READ:Manchester United latest news and updates
Ayden Heaven in Man Utd 3-2 Liverpool
Heaven has now made 24 senior appearances for United since sporting director Jason Wilcox pushed to lure him from the Emirates Stadium, where opportunities were scarce.
I cannot recall watching the teenager and doubting his credentials in any of those matches, which is a credit to just how impressively consistent he has been.
After starting the 1-0 win at Chelsea and the 2-1 victory over Brentford, Heaven lined up next to Harry Maguire again against Liverpool on Sunday. United won, again. The England Under-20 international was a colossus, again.
Heaven completed 34 of 38 attempted passes, made six defensive contributions and won all six duels he contested on the ground and in the air.
He already boasts physicality, aerial dominance, fearless tackling and a calmness and composure on the ball superior to some seasoned Premier League defenders 10 years older.
There is still a rawness to Heaven’s game, as you would expect. The United No. 26 can sometimes tread on the rash side with challenges in dangerous positions, while his positioning has been caught out on occasion this season.
But when he is paired with an experienced partner who can support him in his first-team infancy, like Maguire, Heaven seldom looks out of place.
Has Lisandro Martinez lost his spot?
And that is where Lisandro Martinez enters the picture. Heaven has thrived in the Argentine’s absence while he has served a three-match suspension for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair last month.
Martinez is likely United’s best centre-half when fully fit and firing, but there lies the problem. The Argentine has suffered torrid luck with injuries since his 2022 arrival, including three long-term lay-offs.
In between his absences, he has struggled to produce any sort of consistency. For that reason, it is no surprise that United are reportedly considering a centre-back signing this summer.
But they do not need one. While I understand the thought process, given the busier schedule to come next season, Heaven is ready to step up and play alongside one of Maguire or Matthijs de Ligt regularly.
Martinez will return from his ban when United visit Sunderland this weekend. Yet, Heaven’s removal from the team would be unpopular, which pays testament to just how impressive he has been.
Both are left-footed, so it would likely have to be one or the other. Martinez turned 28 in January and does not currently look like the superior option.
At what point do United focus on the future? When the future looks to be now, it could, and maybe should, happen sooner than expected.
READ: It’s Carrick – Manchester United ‘Expected’ To Offer Permanent Job
