Amad sends classy two-word message to Heaven as Man Utd beat Newcastle | Football | Sport
Amad was swift to praise Ayden Heaven following Manchester United’s Boxing Day triumph over Newcastle. The teenager, who arrived at Old Trafford from Arsenal for approximately £1.5million last January, has found it challenging to secure regular minutes due to fierce competition.
At present, the 19-year-old has clocked up 14 Premier League outings for the club, with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire typically preferred ahead of him. With both side-lined through injury recently, Ruben Amorim has turned to Heaven in the centre of defence – providing him with a golden chance to showcase his talents. The youngster’s quality was there for all to see on Friday night as United welcomed the Magpies to Old Trafford, with his side emerging 1-0 victors courtesy of Patrick Dorgu’s first-half effort.
Following an outstanding performance, which helped United secure a clean sheet against a threatening Newcastle frontline, Heaven was handed the Player of the Match award after the final whistle. Taking to Instagram to celebrate the moment, the defender posted: “What a game, what a team performance we have to build on this! Proud to get MOTM,” accompanied by a selection of photos.
His Manchester United team-mates wasted no time flooding the comments section with praise and encouragement. Despite being occupied with international commitments for the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup Of Nations, Amad commented: “Prime Ayden,” adding a couple of laughing emojis.
Lisandro Martinez chimed in with: “Top Ayden top!” while Shea Lacey responded with several love hearts and a clapping hands emoji. Bryan Mbeumo, currently representing Cameroon at AFCON, wrote: “Well done son,” and match-winner Dorgu simply said: “My g.”
The praise wasn’t limited to Manchester United team-mates alone. Arsenal prodigy Max Dowman contributed a pair of love heart eyed emojis, whilst Maldini Kacurri posted two flame icons.
Heaven also reflected on the encounter with Sky Sports following the victory, saying: “Finally, clean sheet, you know. We’ve been waiting for this for a couple of weeks and I’m just so happy. This guy here [Dorgu] helped us get there. I’m just so thankful for everyone that helped us.”
Discussing Amorim’s tactical setup, he continued: “Yeah, it was different again. Obviously I was playing on the right side. It’s obviously my weaker foot, but the manager – we play loads of formations with him. Whatever he does, we know it’s going to work and we saw today. I’m just so proud of the team.”
Despite losing Amad, Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui to AFCON commitments, United are maintaining strong form in the Premier League. Dorgu and Diogo Dalot were utilised as wingbacks during the Newcastle fixture, whilst Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha operated in attacking midfield roles to compensate for Mbeumo’s absence.
Following the victory, United ascend to fifth place in the Premier League table, boasting eight wins, five losses and an equal number of draws from 18 matches. The Reds’ next challenge is a home fixture against struggling Wolves on Tuesday, 30 December.
