Amad was quick to praise Aiden Haven after Manchester United’s Boxing Day win over Newcastle. The teenager, who joined Old Trafford from Arsenal for around £1.5m in January last year, is finding it difficult to secure regular appearances due to the intense competition.
The 19-year-old has now made 14 appearances in the Premier League, with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire usually preferred ahead of him. Ruben Amorim, who has been sidelined by injury recently, has found a new home in the heart of the defence, giving him the perfect opportunity to showcase his talent. The youngster’s quality was on display for all to see when United welcomed the Magpies to Old Trafford on Friday night, with his team winning 1-0 thanks to some first-half action from Patrick Dawg.
Heaven was presented with the Player of the Match award after the final whistle, following a fantastic performance as United kept a clean sheet against a formidable Newcastle front. To celebrate the moment, the defender posted on Instagram: “What a game. We must build on this with a great team performance! Proud to win the MOTM” along with several photos.
His Manchester United team-mates were quick to flood the comments section with praise and encouragement. Despite being busy with international commitments, including representing Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations, Amado commented: “Prime Minister Aiden”, adding a few laughing emojis.
Lisandro Martinez chimed in, saying, “Top Aiden Top!” Meanwhile, Sia Lacey responded with some love heart and applause emojis. Brian Mbeumo, who is currently representing Cameroon at AFCON, wrote, “Well done son,” while winner Dorgu simply said, “My son.”
The praise wasn’t limited to his Manchester United team-mates. Arsenal genius Max Dauman posted two love heart eyes emojis, while Maldini Kakri posted two flame icons.
Heaven also reflected on his encounter with Sky Sports after the win, saying, “Finally a clean sheet. We’ve been waiting for this for a few weeks and I’m really happy. This guy here (Dorug) has gotten us this far. I’m really grateful to everyone who helped me.”
Talking about Amorim’s tactical set-up, he continued: “Yes, it was different again. Obviously I was playing on the right side. Obviously my foot was weak, but the coach – we play with him in many formations. Whatever he does, we know it will work and we saw today’s game. I’m very proud of the team.”
Despite losing Amad, Mbeumo and Nousair Mazraoui to AFCON qualification, United remain in good form in the Premier League. Against Newcastle, Dorg and Diogo Dalot were used as wing-backs, while Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha played attacking midfield roles to compensate for Mbeumo’s absence.
Following this victory, United now have eight wins, five losses and a draw from their 18 games, moving them into fifth place in the Premier League table. The Reds’ next challenge is a home game against the struggling Wolves on Tuesday, December 30th.
