Disaster struck for Manchester United last weekend, when, in their 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, Lisandro Martinez went down with an injury. A player who has been so crucial to Ruben Amorim in the last few weeks in particular, United fans waited with bated breath to find out the injury he picked up.
It was not good news, with the Argentine centre-back out for an unspecified amount of time with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. That leaves the Red Devils with an issue, given how thin their squad is in the first place.
Amorim will now need to find a new left centre-back for his side, and while the likes of Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt are options, the United boss could turn to new signing Ayden Heaven.
Why Heaven could replace Martinez
Arsenal academy graduate Heaven was a late January addition for United. They signed him from the Gunners at the back end of the window and paid an undisclosed fee, with his old deal at the Emirates Stadium set to expire at the end of the season.
It is fair to say that the youngster is incredibly inexperienced at first-team level. He made just one appearance for the North Londoners, which was a 10-minute cameo in the Carabao Cup against Preston North End earlier in the season. However, he has been on the bench at times, too.
If there is one thing Martinez brings to the United side, it is quality on the ball. Well, that is certainly something United’s new number 26 could add to their squad. Football analyst Ben Mattinson praised Heaven for his “build-up excellence”, and perhaps he could somewhat fill the void of Martinez.
Even though there is a lot of pressure to perform for United, Heaven might well have to be relied on this season to help cover for Martinez and fix United’s issues in the build-up. He could have a big role until the end of the season.
However, he is not the only former Arsenal academy star who might be important in the United first-team this term.
The youngster who could help United
Of course, the young player in question here is Chido Obi-Martin. Just as Heaven did in January, the young Danish forward swapped the red side of North London for the Red side of Manchester, making the move to United in the summer on a free transfer.
He joined United with a simply outstanding reputation. Obi-Martin went viral in 2023/24 for scoring seven goals in a game for Arsenal under-18s. He had a record of 32 goals in 18 under-18 Premier League appearances.
He has certainly carried that form into his United career so far. He has played eight games for the Red Devils under-18s side so far, and already has nine goals. That included a hattrick against Nottingham Forest in a 6-0 win. As football statistician Statman Dave said, he could become “something special” for United.
|
Obi-Martin record for Man Utd u18s |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Opponent |
Competition |
Scoreline |
Mins played |
Goals |
|
Sunderland (a) |
u18 PL |
3-4 |
27 |
0 |
|
Nottingham Forest (h) |
u18 PL |
6-0 |
45 |
3 |
|
Leeds (a) |
u18 PL |
0-8 |
29 |
0 |
|
Everton (h) |
u18 PL |
3-0 |
71 |
1 |
|
Stoke (a) |
u18 PL |
0-3 |
76 |
1 |
|
Man City (h) |
u18 PL |
0-4 |
90 |
0 |
|
Coventry (h) |
FA Youth Cup |
5-0 |
72 |
2 |
|
Preston (h) |
FA Youth Cup |
5-2 |
90 |
2 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
||||
United’s strikers have struggled in front of goal this season. Joshua Zirkzee, who offers lots aside from his goals, has found the back of the net three times in the Premier League. Rasmus Hojlund has only managed two this season in the top flight.
This certainly could open the door for Ob-Martin, who has been in imperious goalscoring form for the academy this season. He has a natural killer instinct and is a powerful ball striker, which could translate well over to first-team football.
Giving the 17-year-old a chance in the first team could be a risk for Amorim, but his form at youth level suggests that it could be a worthwhile gamble, and that is why the manager should unleash him alongside Heaven.