Manchester United’s young defender Aiden Haven has been making waves at Old Trafford since joining from Arsenal earlier this year. The promising 19-year-old, who also spent time in West Ham’s youth academy, signed a four-and-a-half year deal with United in February and has since made 11 appearances for the first team. Haven’s rise to fame also included an assist in United’s Premier League game against Brighton in October.
He has started two top-flight games under manager Ruben Amorim this season, including the recent 4-1 win over Wolves where he featured as part of a back three alongside Luke Shaw and Nousair Mazraoui. The teenager’s move follows that of another highly-rated young forward, Chido Obi-Martin, who joined United’s youth organization from Arsenal at the end of 2024. But Arsenal’s decision to let go of such a bright prospect was influenced by another talent in their ranks.
According to the Daily Mail, 16-year-old Marli Salmon, currently in Arsenal’s youth ranks, has been compared to first-team star William Saliba, earning him the nickname “Baby Saliba” and being touted as the next big thing. The Gunners believe Salmon has a clear path to the first team, following in the footsteps of Max Dowman.
Salmon was brought on from the bench during midweek’s Champions League win over Club Brugge as Mikel Arteta faced an injury crisis in his defense. According to the newspaper, Arsenal’s top brass were confident in Salmon’s long-term potential and were comfortable allowing Haven to move to United.
Unsurprisingly, United have secured a very talented future in heaven and are reaping the rewards of their faith. The youngster has already earned the trust of manager Ruben Amorim in important matches in the Premier League.
Speaking after the win against Wolves, which was his second consecutive league appearance, Haven said: “There are a lot of great defenders at this club and he trusts you to be at the heart of that defence.
“He (Amorim) has a lot of faith in me. I feel like I’m working hard every day in training and the matches I’m playing are showing that he can trust me.
“I thought I was a good player, but I knew that I had to earn the coach’s trust first, and gradually I realized that I was able to do that. I feel like things are going well at the moment, but I just have to keep working.”
