Man Utd secures Arsenal’s rising star Ayden Heaven

Manchester United has completed the signing of 18-year-old defender Ayden Heaven from Arsenal in a deal valued at over £1 million.

The centre-back, who made his debut for Arsenal earlier this season, has also represented England at the Under-19 level.

Heaven has agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract with United, which will keep him at the club until June 2029, with the possibility of an additional year. He will immediately join the first-team squad.

The young defender was nearing the end of his scholarship with Arsenal and had turned down the offer to sign a professional contract with the North London club.

The 18-year-old had been attracting interest from German side Eintracht Frankfurt, but he has chosen to move to Old Trafford.

Heaven has regularly trained with the first team at Arsenal and made his senior debut in October during a Carabao Cup win at Preston.

The centre-back has been on the bench for games against United and Tottenham, while he was also part of the squad for Arsenal’s last-16 clash at Porto last season in the Champions League.

Speaking with MUTV, Heaven said, “I am incredibly proud to join Manchester United. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make this dream a reality.

“There is so much that I want to achieve in the game, I’ll be giving everything to continue my development and become the best player that I can be.”

Also, Man United Technical Director Jason Wilcox said: “We are delighted that Ayden has joined Manchester United. He is already an extremely talented defender who is ready to join our first-team squad to maximise his development.

“This club has a phenomenal track record of supporting young players, and we believe that Ayden is in the perfect place to reach his excellent potential.”