Manchester United lost to Fulham in a penalty shootout at Old Trafford, eliminating them from the FA Cup.

The Europa League, which is also the sole way to qualify for Europe the next season, is now Ruben Amorim’s lone chance to win anything this season.

The opening leg of Manchester United’s Round of 16 matchup against Real Sociedad kicks off the club’s Europa League season on Thursday night.

Amorim’s energy levels were exhausted over the 120 minutes against Fulham, therefore he will have to switch up his lineup once more. According to Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire is “very, very tired,” and he wasn’t the only United player having trouble in the closing minutes of the game.

Despite being a titan against Fulham, Matthijs de Ligt struggled with cramps in the closing minutes.

Amorim will now need to depend on some of his other defensive options, such as Ayden Heaven, who he signed in January.

Ayden Heaven had a flawless debut for Manchester United.

Heaven came off the bench during the half-hour of extra time because Maguire was having trouble continuing. During the January transfer window, United acquired the 18-year-old from Arsenal’s youth.

Heaven made an impression on United supporters by bringing composure to the back of a tumultuous cup match.

Heaven was almost perfect during his 30-minute performance, according to his match statistics.

Heaven won both of his aerial duels and completed all six of his passes. He only gave up the ball once and gave the defense some much-needed vigor to thwart Fulham’s comeback attempts.

Heaven made an impressive debut for United’s Under-21 team just last week, but it appears he has earned a place in the starting lineup that he will want to hold onto.

Ayden For Ruben Amorim, heaven will be significant this season.

Heaven signed with United in January with the knowledge that the Red Devils intended to immediately integrate him into the starting lineup.

He probably didn’t anticipate making his debut so quickly, though, since injuries have pushed him up the hierarchy.

Due to Lisandro Martinez’s ACL injury, Maguire and De Ligt are under additional burden as he will be sidelined for months.

Heaven may soon join Leny Yoro, who has shown promise under Amorim and appears to be a vital component of United’s defense going forward.

As Amorim establishes Heaven as a consistent first-team member, supporters can anticipate seeing more of Heaven this season, as there is only the Europa League to contend with.