Forget Mainoo & Zirkzee – Man Utd star must leave in January after 4/10 display vs West Ham | OneFootball

Manchester United must find Ayden Heaven a new club in January, especially following his unconvincing showing on Thursday.

Ruben Amorim fielded an unusual trio at the back against West Ham United, with the 19-year-old slotting in between Noussair Mazraoui and Luke Shaw.

Unfortunately for Heaven, he endured a ‘torrid’ first half, as Samuel Luckhurst put it, even though Man Utd didn’t concede a goal. Hence, it was no surprise to see him hooked for Leny Yoro at the interval. The contest eventually ended 1-1, with Soungoutou Mangassa responding to Diogo Dalot’s opener.

After the match, the Manchester Evening News gave Heaven the lowest rating among United players, grading his display as a 4/10.

Ayden Heaven produced an under-par display in Man Utd vs West Ham clash

Thursday’s action was certainly a setback for the young Englishman, even though he remains one of the most promising centre-backs in the country.

The teenager, who started his career at West Ham’s academy before joining Arsenal, was poached by Man Utd last season.

In February, the yongster made his big breakthrough due to a major injury crisis. Heaven was hailed for his ‘fantastic’ displays, but ended up suffering a knee injury against Leicester, which halted his momentum.

(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The defender never earned another run in the starting lineup afterwards. In fact, Thursday’s game marked his maiden Premier League start this season.

He had only gotten the nod in the humiliating defeat against Grimsby Town in the Carabao, where he had also failed to shine.

Why Heaven must be loaned out in January

After two under-par displays as a starter, Amorim will likely be reluctant to play Heaven any time soon.

Moreover, it should be remembered that the former Arsenal youngster only got the nod due to a series of circumstances that played in his favour. Matthijs de Ligt suffered a slight knock ahead of the midweek contest, Harry Maguire hasn’t yet recovered from his injury, Lisandro Martinez isn’t fit enough to start after his lengthy layoff, and Yoro was rested after back-to-back poor displays.

Had one of these four aforementioned defenders been considered suitable for a starting role against West Ham, he would have been favoured over Heaven.

Thus, we don’t expect the stars to line up in the young man’s favour any time soon, especially with Man Utd only playing once per week.

At this stage, the young Englishman finds himself in a delicate spot. He’s seemingly too green for a prominent role at Man Utd’s senior team, but he’s probably too good to be relegated to the academy level.

Hence, the best solution would be to loan him out in January, either to another Premier League side that is willing to grant him sufficient playing time or a Championship side.

So while Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee have been linked with the exit door more than any other United player, Heaven is another case that requires INEOS’ swift attention.