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If there is one key lesson to take from this preseason, it is that Ayden Heaven deserves to start ahead of Lisandro Martinez. Heaven saw limited action under Michael Carrick last season, managing only three starts in 18 games. Some found that surprising, particularly given how brilliantly the young defender had performed, impressing enough to earn the club’s player of the month award for December 2025. Nonetheless, the decision to leave him on the bench proved well vindicated, as Martinez stepped up and delivered. Martinez is a brilliant ball-playing defender. What he does with the ball makes him an asset, and in certain matches his ability to carry it forward and deliver defence-splitting passes turns him into a genuine weapon. Even so, for all his quality on the ball, the World Cup finalist has some glaring weaknesses that Milan exploited ruthlessly. While Licha excels in possession, he remains a real concern off the ball. Martinez’s off-the-ball struggles His limited mobility and difficulties defending out wide stand out as clear issues. Ruben Loftus-Cheek exposed them when he caught Martinez out for Milan’s fourth goal in that 4-2 defeat in Poland. Licha’s vulnerability when forced to turn or cover space during open transitions is a problem, and given the intensity of the Premier League, opponents will look to exploit it, just as Amorim must have instructed his players to do. Moreover, selecting Martinez while relying on Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Kobbie Mainoo in midfield leaves United short of raw physical dominance. When two of those three form the midfield pivot, the central defenders must compensate with athleticism and aerial dominance. Heaven the better option Martinez struggles specifically in these two areas: athleticism and aerial dominance. Heaven, by contrast, does not. The United number 26 is notably dominant in the air, frequently recording a 100 per cent success rate in aerial duels, as he did against Milan. He is also quick; his impressive pace ranks among his standout attributes and allows him to thrive in high-line defensive systems, regularly recovering against fast attackers. Those qualities, combined with his press resistance and deep-lying playmaking ability, where he often acts as a progressive passer who breaks opposition lines from deep, mean that on a good day Heaven is the superior option to Martinez. The winter 2025 signing offers everything Martinez does, apart from experience, and that should not matter greatly when he lines up alongside more seasoned team-mates. Martinez remains a fine defender, yet he cannot be United’s starting centre-back in the current circumstances. For now, Heaven, who looks fired up for the new season after a brilliant pre-season, needs to be trusted with a key role, with the South American deputising for him. This change could help the midfield click and stop United’s central defence from being exposed. That said, if United sign a ground-covering midfielder who is also aerially dominant before deadline day, Carrick would have some reason to start Martinez ahead of Heaven. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images