Man Utd have struck gold on “Pogba-esque” star

Amid this halt to proceedings in terms of club action, it feels like a prime opportunity to asses where Manchester United are at under the INEOS regime.

The Old Trafford hierarchy will likely be doing similar themselves with pressure cranking up on Michael Carrick, the Englishman overseeing the club’s joint-worst start to a Premier League season.

It doesn’t exactly reflect well on Jason Wilcox and co that two managers have already been dismissed since they walked in the door back in 2024, notably dallying over whether to sack Erik ten Hag that summer, before keeping the Dutchman in place only briefly.

The bigger concern or scrutiny has centred around the club’s recruitment of late, however, with it having been a real mixed bag on that front.

Assessing INEOS’ transfer business at Man Utd so far

For all the talk of change and new ideas, INEOS fell into the same old trap back in 2024, overseeing a rather scattergun summer of business.

Erik ten Hag’s fingerprints were all over the signings of Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee, amid the Dutch and Eredivisie connection, while the then-United boss had evidently had little say in the signing of Manuel Ugarte, the Uruguayan hardly utilised in those early weeks under the ex-Ajax boss.

The signing of Leny Yoro was viewed as a coup at the time, having beaten off Real Madrid for his signature, yet two years on, United are still waiting for the Frenchman to flourish.

No real success stories from that 2024 crop, while the start of 2025 saw £30m spent on Patrick Dorgu, a player who, 18 months later, has no clear, standout role in Carrick’s side.

As for that summer, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have been an upgrade on those who came before them, both reaching double figures for league goals. United sensibly prioritised Premier League-proven quality and that approach has, largely, paid off.

Senne Lammens, despite a shaky start to 2026/27, has been a gem of a buy, while Benjamin Sesko still has his merits, even if injury looks to be the key concern.

It feels a little early to judge the 2026 arrivals, but it certainly hasn’t been a strong start, even if £70m man Carlos Baleba has yet to have a chance to prove himself.

A real mix then in terms of recruitment, with few of those named above having seen their value actually increase since moving to Manchester. That’s not to say not every deal has followed that trend, however.

How Man Utd struck gold on INEOS signing

It would be wrong to wish for the type of dealings done at the likes of Chelsea, players almost treated like cattle in the manner in which they are bought, sold or loaned under the Todd Boehly regime.

What can’t be argued with is just what astute sellers the Blues are, so regularly raking in a profit with even periperhal members of the squad. Just look to the £50m raked in for Liam Delap, a player who scored just one Premier League goal last term.

United have for so long struggled to shift players, Zirkzee an obvious case in point, while more importantly, they’ve struggled to shift players for a profit.

Hopefully, things may change in that sense before too long, with there perhaps an argument that the club could cash in on the likes of Ayden Heaven, even for how highly-rated the teenager is.

Still only 20, there is a feeling that, alongside Leny Yoro, the pair could become the Premier League’s next Gabriel and William Saliba, such is the regard they are held in.

REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

The young duo certainly deserve time to develop and progress, but there has perhaps been one errant performance too many of late, not least in Heaven’s case.

The Englishman has drifted from the sublime to the ridiculous at times, his casual, “Paul Pogba-esque swagger” – as noted by his grassroots football coach Terry Bobie – regularly drawing the ire of the home crowd, not least in the recent defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Alongside Yoro, Heaven was abject against the Seagulls, playing the hosts into trouble time and again. In all, he lost the ball 13 times, while the centre-back pairing also went walkabout for Pascal Gross’ equaliser.

The former Arsenal man had previously struggled up against Oli McBurnie on the opening weekend against Hull City, enduring a particularly difficult afternoon in that 2-0 defeat.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Of course, he’s still only young and has had plenty of prior performances to be encouraged by, memorably scooping the Man of the Match award against Newcastle United on Boxing Day 2025, while also shining on his first start against Real Sociedad earlier that year.

And yet, perhaps it is beginning to show that, hence the Pogba comparison, Heaven isn’t a centre-back by trade, having risen up through the youth ranks at Arsenal as a midfielder.

With INEOS planning on a full defensive rebuild in 2027, amid the next phase of their squad building, would it make sense to try and rake in a fee for Heaven, to utilise those funds elsewhere?

There’s undoubtedly a talent there, but having been signed for just £1m, INEOS will have few better opportunities to spin a profit. As per Transfermarkt, for instance, his current value sits at €30m (£25m), marking a 2400% increase on his initial cost.

That marks rare astute business for United in recent times, ensuring that whether or not the club do decide to move him on, they’ve still struck gold with this bargain £1m signing.