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Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has to choose between youth and experience.
One of the patterns in Michael Carrick’s team selections so far at Manchester United has been his reluctance to use Ayden Heaven.
Heaven has played only 17 minutes under Michael Carrick since his appointment in January.
It is a major disappointment for a player who won Manchester United’s Player of the Month Award for December.
Now with Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez suspended and Matthijs de Ligt injured, Ayden Heaven could finally get to start for Manchester United this weekend against Chelsea.
Unless Michael Carrick opts for another alternative.
SURELY Ayden Heaven will start vs Chelsea? Or will Carrick try and find another solution? 🤔
Heaven played more minutes under Fletcher than so far under Carrick!
Getty Images Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Luke Shaw shift to centre-back is an option
The possibility of a Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven partnership at the back is an intriguing one that Manchester United need to commit to at one stage.
Carrick has to decide whether a crucial game away at Stamford Bridge is the right time, amid the battle for Champions League qualification.
The flaw in the Yoro and Heaven pairing is their relative inexperience, and Carrick could solve this by moving Luke Shaw to the middle.
Carrick has to make a decision over who will start at right-back between Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui.
He could solve this by simply selecting both Dalot and Mazraoui, one at right-back and one at left-back, while shifting Luke Shaw into the centre.
Luke Shaw has featured at centre-back multiple times. This has most frequently been in a back three, but he could certainly adapt.
The case for this would be to provide either Yoro or Heaven with an experienced partner.
And then three of United’s back four, Shaw, Dalot, and Mazraoui would be bringing a lot of know-how and big match experience to the table.
There is a real case that this makes a lot of sense, especially considering Heaven’s recent lack of game time.
Yoro and Heaven may be the default option, but by moving Luke Shaw around, Carrick can shake up his options and find a credible alternative.
Harry Maguire has been given an extra game ban vs Chelsea due to misconduct – Let us know your thoughts….
With Martinez suspended too, it means Yoro and Heaven are expected to start…
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Heaven snub could be damaging
Picking Luke Shaw at centre-back could work. But it would also send the wrong message to Ayden Heaven if he is the one who is overlooked.
Heaven has been consistently snubbed by Michael Carrick, and part of that may simply be because he is down the pecking order.
But to leave him out for Luke Shaw would dent his confidence and his faith in his own future opportunities.
Heaven is not just a prospect, he has proven he can deliver in the first team, and Michael Carrick should trust him to do so.
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