Ayden Heaven has revealed that he hadn't previously played in the centre of a three-man defence, prior to his recent starring role in the position.
The 19-year-old has been an important figure in the Reds' backline of late, particularly while Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire have been absent through injury.
Heaven has started all five of our Premier League matches in December, but before then had made only two appearances off the bench in the top-flight this term.
His presence has grown, however, and he was deservedly recognised as the Player of the Match in the Boxing Day win over Newcastle United, when we kept just a second clean sheet of the campaign.
Remarkably, the youngster has revealed that he had never played in the position before, prior to this latest run in the side, having predominantly played as the left centre-back in previous outings.
“That middle [spot] is probably one of the most important, because you can’t switch off, can you?”
said our no.26, in an exclusive interview with United Review, which features in the official matchday programme for tonight's game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“You’re alone against the striker really, so you can’t afford to switch off. It was great obviously and it was true that it was my first time ever playing there, so it was a lot different.”
Heaven was booked early on in the first of those five starts against West Ham, leading to his withdrawal as a precaution at the break.
But the defender has completed 90 minutes in each of the subsequent four outings, including in the reverse fixture at Wolves, when the Reds were 4-1 winners.
“It’s a risk when you’re running a yellow, so I understood that and I was confident going into the Wolves game. I felt like I had a good game.”
Having signed from Arsenal in January back at the start of the year, Ayden will make his 15th appearance for United if he is selected to feature in our final game of the calendar year, against Wolves, at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Reflecting on the reverse fixture a few weeks ago, and asked for his message to the fans as we approach 2026, Ayden took a positive outlook for the year ahead.
“Just stick with us, you know? Even in the tough times. We’re improving as a team, as you can see. We just want to take the last result that we had into the new year.”