Ayden Heaven started like a house on fire, but United’s 17-year-old wingback looked the most first team ready vs Solihull

Manchester United Under-21s crashed out of the National League Cup with a loss to Solihull Moors. Here are our player ratings for the match. Read the detailed match report of all the action here.Read the detailed match report of all the action here. (A score of 6 is around average.) Ratings Will Murdock – 6 – Conceded four goals but could not do much for any of them. Two close-range finishes, a one-on-one, and a heavily deflected fourth goal. Made a good save from a header early on and should have got an assist when his long kick made its way through to Scanlon. Jayce Fitzgerald – 6 – Played out of position at right-back and did fine for the most part, not looking out of his depth defensively. Made one good pass to Scanlon but struggled to get involved too much in attack. Dan Armer – 4.5 – It was a night to forget for young Armer. Forced to play on the right side of the centre-back pairing, he looked uncomfortable as he took extra touches to get it onto his left and always looked to go inside. The extra time needed on the ball meant he was often under pressure and gave the ball away in dangerous positions numerous times. A bright spot from his performance was his ability in the air. Ayden Heaven>strong> – 6 – Started off exceptionally with a goal-line clearance and then a last-ditch tackle to deny a one-on-one. His composure on the ball and defensively had him looking head and shoulders above the rest for the opening half hour. However, his composure turned into lapses in concentration as the match went on. He lost his runner for the first goal and was poor for the second as well, putting in a half-hearted challenge in the immediate build-up. Diego Leon – 5 – It was a strange performance from Leon, as he lacked the usual intensity and aggression in his play. He played it backwards far too often in possession, rarely attacking down the left wing. Defensively, he was slow to get back and did not look keen to put in a challenge. Jacob Devaney – 6.5 – The ever-reliable captain put in another solid display, switching between three positions throughout the match. Devaney made an important block in front of goal and was good at playing out from the back as United controlled the possession. Tyler Fletcher – 5.5 – Caught on the ball a few times in dangerous areas, he needed to quicken up his play at times and play with a bit more urgency. Bendito Mantato – 7 – United’s key dangerman in attack, he did really well to consistently find space on the right wing. As an outlet on the wing, he offered quick transition play that was in contrast to United’s often slow and laboured possession. He took his goal excellently after showing great strength to outmuscle the defender. However, he was not always so clinical in his attacks. Jack Fletcher – 6.5 – At the heart of most of United’s good play early on, his passing range was key to catching out a well-drilled Solihull backline. He played a number of good cross-field switches to Mantato to open the play up and provided the assist for Mantato’s goal with a perfectly weighted through ball. James Scanlon – 6 – Was involved in some of United’s better openings but left his shooting boots at home. He should have scored in the first half when he shot straight at the keeper and had another good chance in the second half that he sent well wide. Gabriele Biancheri – 5.5 – Did well in his hold-up and link-up play when he received the ball but just did not do enough to get involved more often or in more dangerous areas. Substitutes Jim Thwaites – 6.5 – Added some thrust to United’s attack in the second half with quick passes fired into the box or spread to the wings, although his accuracy was off at times. He came close to scoring late on with one of his patented free kicks that was tipped over the bar. James Overy – 5.5 – Did not make much of an impact off the bench. Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.