Manchester United’s defence of the FA Cup ended in the fifth round as Fulham beat them 3-4 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Ruben Amorim’s decision to start Rasmus Hojlund backfired as the Dane put in yet another anonymous display up front. Chido Obi’s cameo was proof that the head coach must start trusting in the club’s academy stars more moving forward.
The 17-year-old was not the only young ace who impressed with the Portuguese tactician also handing Ayden Heaven his United debut on Sunday.
The former Arsenal starlet enjoyed an assured outing, looking comfortable on the ball and solid in defence. It is clear to see that he is ready for more first-team minutes at Old Trafford.
Heaven posts on social media
After the game, the 18-year-old went on Instagram to share his thoughts and wrote how proud he was after making his debut for “one of the biggest clubs in the world”.
“Despite the unfortunate result, I am glad to have made my debut for one of the biggests club in the world! Hopefully many more to come,” the England U19 international wrote.
🚨📸 – Ayden Heaven via Instagram:
“Despite the unfortunate result, I am glad to have made my debut for one of the biggests club in the world! Hopefully many more to come.” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/75s1OEvRY7
— Frank🧠🇵🇹 (fan) (@AmorimEra_) March 3, 2025
His former Arsenal teammate Chido Obi replied, “So proud of you mate.” There were also words of encouragement from Joshua Zirkzee and academy right-back Habeeb Ogunneye.
The head coach was full of praise for the Englishman and hinted at more chances for academy starlets likes him. He has already been included in the Europa League squad ahead of the game against Real Sociedad.
More chances soon
“Ayden was really relaxed during the game so I’m quite happy for them but it’s a tough first [home] game for them.
“They are players with talent and then, when you have this moment with some injuries, they have to be ready. It’s our tradition to put players in to play, especially in this moment.
“We have to focus on everything, the future is right there and the young kids can feel the club and can change things sometimes for us, without buying players.”
Given Harry Maguire’s injury against the Cottagers and Victor Lindelof’s rusty display, there is no reason why Heaven should not feature more moving forward.
Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
