Man United head coach Ruben Amorim suffers injury blow ahead of trip to Liverpool

Manchester United centre-back Ayden Heaven could be set for a spell on the sidelines with an issue that he sustained while representing England Under-20s on Friday.

The 19-year-old went down injured in the first minute of the international fixture with Switzerland Under-20s - he was able to continue, but the youngster did not feature in the second half of the contest.

England Under-20s head coach Ben Futcher said after the match that Heaven had "picked something up", with the defender now set to be assessed to determine the extent of the damage.

"He picked something up. I don't think it's too serious, but we'll have to see how it progresses," Futcher told BBC Sport.

Heaven had represented England at Under-18s and Under-19s level before making his debut for the Under-20s last month against Italy Under-20s.

Man United's Heaven suffers injury in England Under-20s fixture

Heaven made the move to Man United from Arsenal in February 2025, and he featured on six occasions for the 20-time English champions in the second half of last season.

The centre-back has been restricted to just two appearances this term, though, with his only Premier League football coming against Fulham in the second gameweek of the campaign.

Heaven has since been an unused substitute against Burnley, Manchester City, Chelsea, Brentford and Sunderland in England's top flight.

The defender started against Grimsby Town in the second round of the EFL Cup, and Man United's exit from that competition could mean that he struggles for starts this season.

Indeed, the Red Devils will not play in a competition other than the Premier League until January, when their FA Cup challenge for the 2025-26 campaign will begin.

Will Heaven be in the squad against Liverpool?

Heaven is set to be assessed before any decision on his involvement against Liverpool on October 19 is made.

Lisandro Martinez is expected to return from a serious knee injury next month, which would push Heaven further down the pecking order, while Noussair Mazraoui may also recover from an issue to feature at Anfield in the clash with the Premier League champions.

Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw are also ahead of Heaven in the pecking order when it comes to the positions in Ruben Amorim's back three.