Thursday nights were Ruben Amorim’s saviour at Manchester United last season, although there was to be no solace in that slot this week, following the dismal draw at home to relegation strugglers, West Ham United.
A tepid and uninspiring display saw the hosts almost sleepwalk to that eventual 1-1 scoreline, despite taking the lead through Diogo Dalot in the second half, with the Red Devils showcasing almost a refusal to put the game to bed.
Even with the returning Matheus Cunha reinstated in the forward line, it was particularly concerning just how light United looked with regard to attacking options, not least with Benjamin Sesko the only senior star who is currently sidelined in that department.
At the back too, the frustrating absence of the previously ever-present Matthijs de Ligt also left Amorim scrambling to rejig his defensive unit, with the surprise inclusion of 19-year-old Ayden Heaven having seemingly backfired.
Ayden Heaven's game in numbers vs West Ham
A January arrival from Arsenal, the teenage sensation looked impressive during his handful of outings last season, with club legend Wayne Rooney suggesting that it looked like he’d “been there for years”, following his standout, albeit brief, impact.
Cruelly struck down by injury against Leicester City just a few games into his United journey, Heaven has since been on the periphery in 2025/26, with his only start prior to Thursday having come in the debacle down at Grimsby.
As was the case that rainy night at Blundell Park, the England youth international had a rabbit in the headlights feel to his performance against the Hammers, notably receiving an early yellow for a rash challenge on Jarrod Bowen.
Unsettled in a new role at the heart of the backline, in the absence of De Ligt, Harry Maguire and the benched Leny Yoro, the youngster was somewhat bullied up against the experienced Callum Wilson, having failed to win a single duel at all, as per Sofascore.
Indeed, the towering defender was unable to make a single tackle or interception, while recording a lowly 67% pass accuracy rate from just 17 touches, before being rightly withdrawn at the break.
Such is his age, the £1m signing certainly shouldn’t be written off, with that showing unlikely to prove terminal for his United career.
If anything, more of the scrutiny should rest on Amorim, with the Portuguese’s substitutions also needing to be put under the microscope.
Man Utd substitute looks to be on borrowed time
As treble winner Roy Keane suggested post-match, the hosts were almost attempting to see the game out as if they were champions, knocking the ball around with little belief that they would need a second goal to win the game.
That approach perhaps stemmed from Amorim’s second-half changes, with Joshua Zirkzee and the aforementioned Cunha both withdrawn for midfielders Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte.
There were also eyebrows raised at the decision to remove goalscorer Dalot, not least with the Portuguese defender having actually looked settled in that unorthodox left wing-back berth.
That move remained even more bizarre considering the criticism that Amorim had directed at his replacement, Patrick Dorgu, ahead of the weekend trip to Selhurst Park, highlighting the “anxiety” that has been a feature of the Dane’s game of late.
Such woes were evident even during the 21-year-old’s cameo appearance, a display that epitomised the drop off that United tend to endure once alterations are made mid-game.
Minutes
22
Touches
28
Pass accuracy
93%
Key passes
1
Successful crosses
1/3
Successful dribbles
2/3
Total duels won
3/5
Tackles
0
Possession lost
6
Indeed, Dorgu memorably wasted a promising opening late on after producing a wayward cross that evaded everyone in red, having lost the ball six times from just 28 touches during his 22-minute outing.
Equally, there were audible groans from the Old Trafford crowd at one stage as the ex-Lecce starlet opted to let the ball run out of play for a throw-in inside his own half, rather than try and keep the play alive.
That might be a case of nit-picking, but nothing appears to be going right for the left-footer right now, with content creator Liam Canning of the assessment that he is “miles off the standard” required to be a success at Man Utd, suggesting the attack-minded talent is “nowhere near it”.
With Amorim now approaching a period where his squad will shrink even further amid the loss of Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui to AFCON next week, the likes of Dorgu and other peripheral figures will have to be relied upon more heavily.
On the evidence of Thursday and this year in general, United’s number 13 has shown little sign that he is up to that challenge.
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