£150k-per-week star may never play for Man Utd again due to Heaven & Amass

The short-term aim for Manchester United will be fighting their way to Europa League glory, but in the long-term, Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be seeking far more lofty honours, as the Red Devils bid to return back to the top of the domestic and European game.

INEOS’ ‘Mission 21’ has outlined a goal to secure a 21st league title by 2028. The new ownership regime are also planning to move into a new 100,000-seater stadium ahead of the 2030/31 campaign.

Plans are being put in place to revive this fallen giant, with manager Ruben amorim having already begun to look to the future himself, after handing opportunities to a raft of young talents in recent weeks.

The 40-year-old coach has handed a string of substitute cameos to ex-Arsenal man Chido Obi of late, while academy graduate Toby Collyer – a player Erik ten Hag was said to ‘really like’ – has also now made 13 appearances this season, ten of which have come under Amorim.

The recent triumph over Leicester City saw that duo introduced off the bench, while the teenage pairing of Ayden Heaven and Harry Amass also featured, with it looking as if both have a real chance of securing a permanent place in Amorim’s ranks ahead of next season.

Amass and Heaven’s performance vs Leicester

Starting with Heaven, the 18-year-old had initially looked so at ease on what was his first Premier League start against the Foxes, notably denying Patson Daka with a perfectly timed, last-ditch tackle in the first half.

While the far more experienced Victor Lindelof endured a rough ride up against Jamie Vardy, it was the teenager who looked like the senior man at the back, with club legend Wayne Rooney hailing the £1.5m signing as so “calm” and “composed”.

Also lauded as a “real coup” for the club by Rooney, the youngster – who had also started against Real Sociedad on Thursday night – saw his fine outing cruelly cut short, as he was eventually stretchered off just after the break.

While it is not yet known how long Heaven will be out for, either way, it looks like being the start of a fruitful journey at Old Trafford for the promising centre-back, with that potentially also the case for fellow teenager, Amass.

Introduced off the bench late on his 18th birthday, the attacking full-back slotted into a left wing-back berth for the final 20 minutes against Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s side, making what was his first competitive senior outing for the Red Devils.

The former Watford starlet had been tipped for a loan move in January, although amid the lack of genuine cover for Patrick Dorgu on that left flank, it now looks like the Englishman could earn further minutes for himself before the season is out.

For all the positives that the rise of Heaven and Amass will bring, however, it could well have a negative impact on a far more senior member of the side, in Luke Shaw.

How Amass and Heaven can impact Man Utd’s first-team stars

With the summer looming, it looks like yet another squad overhaul could be on the cards, with the defensive ranks, in particular, looking set for change with both Lindelof and Jonny Evans out of contract at the end of the season.

Heaven’s emergence has ensured that Amorim’s options at centre-back are now bolstered even amid those departures, while the recent promotion of Amass has strengthened a youthful left side alongside the January signing of Dorgu.

Quite where this leaves the aforementioned Shaw remains to be seen, with the long-serving defender still waiting to make his return from injury, having last started a game for the club back in February 2024.

The England international – who did feature for the Three Lions at Euro 2024 – did make three substitute appearances under Amorim back in December, although the 29-year-old hasn’t been seen since, with time running out to make a return before the season reaches its climax.

On the face of it, the former Southampton man looks like a perfect fit for the new manager’s 3-4-3 set-up, having played as a left wing-back during his time with England, notably scoring in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

With Shaw also lining up as a centre-back in Ten Hag’s first season in charge, it appeared he could comfortably slot in as a left-sided centre-back for Amorim, thus taking on two roles in the 3-4-3.

Unfortunately, the £150k-per-week asset – who did suffer a brutal double leg break back in 2015 – has frustratingly been hampered by injury far too often, and while he does still have two years left to run on his existing contract, it might be time for United to cut their losses.

Indeed, with Heaven able to take on that left centre-back berth, and with “Shaw’s successor” in Amass a perfect replacement at wing-back – as described by journalist Alex Turk – it may well have seen Shaw nudged even further down the pecking order.

The experienced asset, it must be said, will arguably be more disappointed than most at his repeated injury setbacks, yet with availability arguably the best ability, he is falling short in that department.

That is best emphasised by the fact that he will soon be eclipsed for appearances for United by Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese only one behind the full-back’s tally of 278 games. Shaw arrived in the summer of 2014, while Fernandes signed in January 2020.

That stark statistic illustrates the extent of Shaw’s struggles for fitness, and with Amass and Heaven now in the picture, it might be the ideal time for a changing of the guard this summer.