Manchester United are about to unleash a new partnership vs Brentford Man Utd play Brentford in the Premier League on Monday and Michael Carrick is expected to introduce a new partnership. Comments Sport opinion Steven Railston Manchester United correspondent 11:00, 27 Apr 2026 View 2 Images A view of the United dressing room. When Harry Maguire signed for Manchester United from Leicester City in 2019, Ayden Heaven was 12. Heaven is from a different generation and has tried to learn from Maguire at United. Heaven was asked at the start of the year whether there was anything he would 'steal' from Maguire's game. “Definitely attacking set pieces, scoring from the corners and crosses," he said during an interview with club media. Maguire is a superb example for any young English defender trying to establish themselves. The 33-year-old has overcome extreme adversity, showing remarkable mental strength to do so, and has represented his country at four major tournaments. Click here to find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter Heaven will enjoy a great career if he can achieve close to what Maguire has, but at this stage, everything is in front of the youngster, and he will back himself to achieve more than his experienced teammate. For now, Heaven needs to get his head down, continue to improve his game and take chances when they are handed to him. The good news is that he grabbed his opportunity at Stamford Bridge with both hands last weekend. "Ayden, credit to him, coming in as a young player for one," said boss Michael Carrick. "[He's] not played a lot of football recently, played for England Under-20s a couple of weeks ago, but to come into that environment is not something that you can take for granted, you know? "Credit to him. We say the same things to young players all the time, sometimes they look at you as if, like, yeah good one or whatever, but in terms of training every day and looking after yourself and being ready, 'cause you never know when that comes, he probably wouldn't have thought it would come at the moment with how it has gone, but he was there, he was prepared, and he took it in his stride magnificently" View 2 Images Heaven got stuck in vs Chelsea. Heaven started alongside Noussair Mazraoui at short notice at Chelsea because Leny Yoro was ruled out of the game. "They were fantastic," Carrick said of the pair. "It was more meetings and talks, really, and clips, and a few discussions, and the other side of things, I'm just telling them to go and play, you know, we trust them. "Two fantastic players, and giving them the confidence to just go and commit to it, and understand you could give your best. And then, obviously, a little bit of extra protection, not that they needed it, but as a team, and things that we needed to stop, and stop with a little bit extra kind of, maybe effort, which we try to do that as well. "It was short notice. It was probably through the day yesterday and again, the boys took it on so well and I love when you see players thrive in those moments, when it's sometimes challenging. That's a tough place to come into in a game like that and I thought they took it in their stride so well." Maguire was not available against Chelsea due to a suspension, but he will be able to feature against Brentford on Monday night, meaning he is expected to come back into the starting XI to partner Heaven. Carrick suggested that Yoro could return to the squad, but he didn't confirm whether he would be fit. Either way, there would be no need to risk the Frenchman by starting him immediately after recovering from an injury. Heaven was excellent after making a rusty start in the capital and should retain his starting role alongside Maguire, who should help his younger teammate look even better due to his nous at the back. Yoro has admitted he finds it easier to play alongside Maguire because of the dirty work he gets through in defence. Heaven excelled playing with Mazraoui, an auxiliary centre-back, at Stamford Bridge, but he should have a more straightforward night playing alongside Maguire against Brentford. Maguire and Heaven have played together in a back three. They have not played together in a back four before, although that is not anticipated to be a problem given their skillsets should complement each other. The former United captain has also gone out of his way to help Heaven since he joined the club from Arsenal. "Especially before games. I feel like when Harry’s not in the squad, he always tries to come over and just like, helps me and gives me advice on what to do," explained Heaven. Article continues below Carrick will have no qualms about his centre-back pairing against Brentford at Old Trafford. Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more £44 Sky Get the deal here Product Description Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL. Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk