Manchester United announce signing of Ayden Heaven from Arsenal

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of promising young defender Ayden Heaven from Arsenal.

Heaven, 18, has put pen to paper on a contract with United until June 2029, having been with Arsenal since the age of just eight.

The teenager had been considered one of the shining lights of Arsenal’s academy and was heavily involved with Mikel Arteta’s first-team in pre-season, going on to make his senior debut in the Carabao Cup against Preston.

But United have been keeping close tabs on Heaven’s progress for some time and approached their Premier League rivals over a possible bid for the centre-back last month.

The Gunners offered Heaven a new contract in a last-ditch attempt to convince the youngster to extend his stay but United officially confirmed his move to the north west this morning.

‘I am incredibly proud to join Manchester United. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make this dream a reality,’ Heaven said after signing a four-and-a-half year deal with the Red Devils.

‘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.’

On his Instagram page, the England Under-19 international said he had ‘lived the dream’ across his decade-long stay with Arsenal and thanked fans for their unwavering support.

‘As the time has come for me to move on, I wanted to say how grateful I am to the good people at Arsenal who supported me during my time with the club,’ Heaven told his followers.

‘As a North London boy, I lived the dream of training and playing at Hale End and London Colney, as well as making my professional debut in the League Cup,’ he added.

‘A big thank you too to Arsenal fans.’

Jason Wilcox, United’s technical director, said the club had captured an ‘extremely talented’ player with huge potential in Heaven.

‘We are delighted that Ayden has joined Manchester United,’ Wilcox told United’s official website.

‘He is already an extremely talented defender who is ready to join our first-team squad in order 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.’

Heaven follows in the footsteps of Chido Obi-Martin, who left Arsenal to complete a move to Old Trafford back in October.

The Red Devils have embarked on an aggressive recruitment drive at youth level since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover 12 months ago, also wrapping up a deal for Paraguayan prospect Diego Leon this winter.

Meanwhile, Patrick Dorgu is set to become the first senior signing of Ruben Amorim’s reign after United agreed a £29million with Lecce for the Denmark left-back.

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