AYDEN HEAVEN gave Manchester United fans a scare as he was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh injury.
Ruben Amorim’s side took on Italian side Fiorentina in a friendly at Old Trafford – drawing 1-1 before winning 5-4 on penalties.
Ayden Heaven picked up what looked like a thigh injuryReuters – Action Images
Heaven, 18, was seen sprawled on the floor and clearly in pain with 71 minutes on the clock.
Amorim was quick to replace the young centre-back, replacing him with Matthijs de Ligt.
With just eight days until their Premier League opener against Arsenal, the knock will be a concern for the Red Devils ahead of what they hope will be a much better season.
Heaven has a history of injuries, and in March this year he had to be taken off on a stretcher early in the second half in a comfortable 3-0 victory at Leicester.
Heaven was involved in a tangle with Foxes striker Patson Daka and stayed down with an injured ankle and clearly hurt.
He had to be taken off on a stretcher in worrying scenes after extensive treatment from both United and Leicester medics.
Heaven – a January signing from Arsenal – was then spotted leaving the King Power with his foot in a brace before being out for two months.
The talented young defender has made six competitive senior appearances for United since his arrival.
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Heaven scored in United’s post-season tour victory against a Hong Kong XI in May and he came close to breaking the deadlock in the goalless draw with Leeds in Stockholm two weeks ago.
He said: “I was surprised at the amount of games I played but I knew when I was going to play I was going to make an impact.
“I just try to be calm whenever I have the ball, and just pick the right passes.
“It helps if you have a calm mind and just play. I can play in the middle on the left, but the left probably more suits me because of my ability with the ball.
“I can drive with the ball, I can overlap if I’m needed to and I can just get forward more. That’s one of my biggest strengths.
“When I was younger I was obviously an attacker, but it was when I was around 14, 15 when I had a massive growth spurt and I started to filter back a bit.
“I started off at left back, then I went to left side to centre back, and that’s when I started looking up to the likes of (Virgil) van Dijk and William Saliba, and players like that.”
MAN UTD PLAYER RATINGS: Bryan Mbeumo eases pressure on Bruno Fernandes but Matheus Cunha lacks sharpness vs Fiorentina
BRYAN MBEUMO showed fans what they’ve been missing as Manchester United beat Fiorentina 5-4 on penalties in their final pre-season friendly.
United were a mixed bag in their final summer warm-up game- and the only one at Old Trafford – before the start of the new season next Sunday.
United unveiled their four new signings but it was Benjamin Sesko – who was announced from RB Leipzig before kick-off – that got the loudest roar from fans.
And this match proved how much they needed him…
Here’s how SunSport’s Man Utd reporter Katherine Walsh rated the players…
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