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Manchester United paid the price for being overly defensive when they drew 1-1 with West Ham United at Old Trafford on Thursday.
After Diogo Dalot gave the Red Devils a deserved lead in the second half, Ruben Amorim was expected to go for safety.
Instead, the head coach made a plethora of defensive changes, meaning the Hammers slowly gained a foothold in the match and equalized late on.
Before the match, there were doubts about the availability of both Joshua Zirkzee and Bruno Fernandes, but Matthijs de Ligt was the one who was ultimately sidelined due to a minor injury.
Ayden Heaven’s gamble yielded no results
Ayden Heaven was called up to play in the center of the back three. And the gamble didn’t pay off at all.
It was his first start in the Premier League this season and the 19-year-old looked nervous, which was evident when he was unnecessarily booked for a rash challenge on Jarrod Bowen inside eight minutes.
| Statistics | Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0 |
| Tackles (won) | 0 (0) |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Clearances | 4 |
| Blocked shots | 1 |
| Chargebacks | 3 |
| Ground duels (won) | 3 (0) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 2 (0) |
| Violations | 2 |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
| Key cards | 0 |
| Cross (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Precise passes | 6/10 (60%) |
| Passes in opposition half (according to) | 1/3 (33%) |
| Passing in own half (according to) | 5/7 (71%) |
| Touches | 17 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Property lost | 4 |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
That yellow card seemed to suck all the confidence out of him, as only six of ten passes found their target in the first 45 minutes. The former Arsenal academy product made 0 tackles.
Moreover, he lost all three of his ground duels and both aerial duels. He was also dribbled past once while committing two fouls.
Needs a loan
The left-footed defender completed the ball four times and recovered the ball three times, but it was a thoroughly disappointing performance from a player who had promised a lot last season (all stats via bankscore).
He only lasted 45 minutes and Leny Yoro, who was heavily criticized against Crystal Palace, came on in his place.
Heaven needs more minutes to get his confidence back up, but with Lisandro Martinez fully fit, he is unlikely to get too many chances at left centre-back, where he is most comfortable.
The England U20 international’s performance showed exactly why the Red Devils are considering sending him out on loan in January.
If De Ligt does not recover from his injury before Monday, there is a greater chance that Yoro will start in place of Ayden Heaven.
Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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