Ayden Heaven has ruled out the possibility of switching international allegiance
Manchester United defender Ayden Heaven has ruled out the possibility of switching international allegiance from England to Ghana, dealing a blow to the Black Stars ahead of next summer’s FIFA World Cup.
The 19-year-old centre-back, who qualifies to represent Ghana through a grandparent, has been closely monitored by the Ghana Football Association as part of efforts to strengthen the national team with dual-nationality players.
However, sources have told BBC Sport that Heaven is keen on continuing his international future with England and has no plans to change allegiance.
Ghana is set for a challenging World Cup campaign after being drawn in a tough group alongside England, Croatia and Panama at the tournament to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Heaven’s decision means he will not be available for selection despite his eligibility.
The London-born Heaven joined United from Arsenal in February, having made just one senior appearance for the Gunners.
He has represented England at several youth levels and was most recently involved with the England U-20s, although an ankle injury suffered against Switzerland in October ruled him out of the November fixture against Japan.
At club level, Heaven’s development has gathered pace in recent weeks.
He made two substitute appearances in the Premier League before earning his first start for United against West Ham on December 4, operating in the centre of a back three.
Despite being booked early and withdrawn at half-time, the teenager has since started all four matches, showing marked improvement with each outing.
He delivered an impressive display in the 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on December 21 and followed it up with a man-of-the-match performance in United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle, a game that produced only their second clean sheet of the season.
United boss Ruben Amorim was full of praise for the young defender, saying:
“I am really pleased with Ayden. You can feel that he is improving every game.
He is young, but you can feel that he has a good game, slows the thinking and improves during the game.
He trained really well and, if he continues to play like that, it is going to be really hard to take his place.”
While Ghana miss out on a promising defensive option, Heaven’s rise at Old Trafford underlines why England remain his priority as he continues his rapid progression at the highest level.
