Man Utd’s Ayden Heaven names three Premier League defenders he wants to emulate

Ayden Heaven is one of the brightest defensive talents in the country, but he also wants to add goals to his game.

The 18-year-old made his senior debut for Arsenal last year before moving to Manchester United on February 1 and quickly making an impression.

The teenager made six first team appearances before the end of the season and would have made more if it weren’t for an ankle injury picked up in March.

He will hope to continue to feature regularly in Ruben Amorim’s defence in the coming season, but he also wants to make an impact in the opposition’s box as much as his own.

The 6’2″ centre-back admires the likes of Arsenal’s Gabriel and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk for their goal-scoring prowess.

He also gave a nod to teammate Harry Maguire for the threat he poses from set-pieces, wanting to do so himself in the years to come.

‘I want to score more goals from set pieces,’ Heaven told The Athletic. ‘You see Gabriel and Van Dijk, and defenders like Maguire as well. I want to be like them, in the box scoring headers.

‘I think that’s always a plus to have as a defender. It’s more of a mental thing as well. You’ve got to believe you’re going to score this goal.’

Heaven, who has been capped by England up to Under-19 level, is yet to score a senior goal, but did score in a post-season friendly win over Hong Kong.

The young defender is making impressive progress and has thanked two people in particular for their help since he joined the Red Devils.

Heaven says former midfielder and current coach at Manchester United Darren Fletcher has been a big influence, as has Maguire.

‘Darren Fletcher helps me a lot in training and matches,’ he said. ‘My first day at Carrington, he spoke with me. I think he does tend to help a lot of young players.

‘And Harry Maguire also. Before matches, me and Harry have a lot of talks on tactics.’

Amorim was delighted with the arrival of Heaven midway through last season, hailing Manchester United’s director of football Jason Wilcox for his work on signing the defender and the youngster’s swift return from ankle injury.

‘I think once again Jason Wilcox is doing a great job bringing Ayden,’ said the Red Devils boss.

‘I think these types of players are what we need. He showed a lot of quality and character after the big injury. We want these types of players.’

Manchester United’s pre-season fixtures begin next week when they take on Leeds United on Saturday July 19 in Stockholm.