Ayden Heaven set for new Man Utd role next season with £52m Ineos signing most at risk

When Manchester United paid £52million for Leny Yoro during the summer transfer window, that was a clear sign that they were acting with one eye on the future. Fast forward seven months and the French defender has played more than first expected - despite an initial injury problem.

Yoro, who only turned 19 in November, has played 21 times for United across the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. After breaking into Lille's first-team in 2023, the centre-back has already made 81 senior appearances in his young career.

Under Ruben Amorim, United utilise three central defenders with each of the trio playing crucial roles in the build-up play. In the current first-team squad, United have seven centre-backs, but only two are currently fit.

Matthijs de Ligt and Victor Lindelof are both available with some noticeable names in the medical room. Lisandro Martinez, who is among Amorim's first-choice options, is out with an ACL set-back - with Jonny Evans also injured.

England regular Harry Maguire is likely to be fit for the trip to Nottingham Forest after March's international break, but Yoro has been out since coming off against Arsenal. There is hope he could return for Forest but - next season - his place in Amorim's back three isn't as clear as first thought.

January's arrival of Ayden Heaven was the latest addition to the club with plenty of potential to grow into and his handful of appearances. The 18-year-old has played four times for United and settled into first-team football rather well - oozing class and composure.

His unfortunate and worrying injury sustained in their 3-0 win over Leicester City means he could be forced to miss the rest of the term, or at least several games. But when Heaven