Ayden Heaven has impressed for Manchester United since joining from Arsenal earlier this year, with the Gunners sanctioning the move due to their belief in emerging defender Marli Salmon
Hannah Pinnock and Isaac Seelochan Senior Sports Journalist
18:21, 12 Dec 2025
Ayden Heaven has largely impressed since joining Manchester United from Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United defender Ayden Heaven is currently one of the most promising young talents at the club, having experienced a swift ascent since his transfer from Arsenal earlier this year.
The youngster spent time in both West Ham and Arsenal’s youth academies before joining United for a nominal fee in February. Upon signing, Heaven agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Red Devils and was immediately integrated into the first-team squad.
Since his arrival, the 19-year-old has made 11 appearances for United and notched up one assist, which came in the Premier League victory over Brighton in October. Heaven has started two Premier League matches under Ruben Amorim this season, including the recent 4-1 triumph over Wolves, where he played in a back three alongside Luke Shaw and Noussair Mazraoui.
Ayden Heaven has started Manchester United’s last two matches (Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
Heaven became the second highly-rated youngster to make the move from Arsenal to United within a span of four months, with forward Chido Obi-Martin making a similar switch, albeit into United’s academy, towards the end of 2024.
However, there was a clear reason why Arsenal were willing to let go of such a promising prospect, and it boils down to another rising star in their academy.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Arsenal’s 16-year-old defender Marli Salmon has been compared to current first-team standout William Saliba.
Marli Salmon has made a good first impression for Arsenal (Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The north London club believe he is their next big talent after Max Dowman, and that he has a clear route into the senior squad.
During the week, Salmon stepped off the substitutes’ bench in the Gunners’ Champions League victory against Club Brugge, with Mikel Arteta lacking defensive choices due to an accumulation of injuries.
The report highlights that Heaven’s switch to United was internally accepted at the Emirates because of their faith in Salmon’s abilities.
United, naturally, are reaping the rewards of that confidence, landing a tremendously gifted player in Heaven. He’s already gaining Amorim’s confidence in crucial Premier League fixtures.
Following Wolves’ triumph, having appeared in consecutive league matches, Heaven reflected post-match: “There’s so many great defenders at this club that he’s trusting you to be at the middle of that defence.
“He [Amorim] is trusting me a lot. I feel like I’m working hard every day in training and I’m showing he can trust me in the games that I’m playing.
“I thought I was a good player but I knew that I first had to gain the trust of the manager and slowly I know I’m doing that. I feel like I’m doing well at the moment, but I’ve just got to keep working.”
