Questions have been raised over the character of Manchester United's new recruit Ayden Heaven.

The 18-year-old was signed from Arsenal during the January transfer window having made just one competitive appearance in senior football. However, United are hopeful the highly-rated defender will become a first-team regular at Old Trafford.

Heaven made the bench for Friday night's FA Cup win over Leicester, and his first chance to shine could come sooner than anticipated, with Lisandro Martinez facing a spell on the sidelines with an ACL injury. Despite the excitement over the signing, one former United player has already expressed doubts over the youngster's personality.

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Ben Foster, who also starred in goal for Hollywood-owned Wrexham in the twilight of his career, voiced confusion over why he would choose to quit Arsenal given the current turmoil at United. "It does raise a lot of eyebrows and questions about what kind of character is happy to leave Arsenal when there's possibly a pathway for him to be part of a very successful first team," he said on the latest episode of his "Fozcast" podcast.

"To then go and join Man United, which from the outside is toxic, chaotic and you don't really know what the playing style is, that would straightaway make me question why he's done that."

Reports suggest Heaven is likely to have received a significant pay boost after making the switch to Old Trafford. While some might suggest that could help spur the player on to success, Foster warned it could also be demotivating for the youngster.

He said: "When most players get that big contract, they soften and they lose that hunger. Subconsciously, it gets into you and I've seen it week in, week out throughout my career. They've been on rubbish money for three years, and then all of a sudden they get that big contract.

"The handbrake is straight up and they think they don't have to keep doing the things that they were always doing before like going to the gym in the morning because they’ve already got that contract for four years."

Heaven has signed a contract with the Red Devils until June 2029, with the option of an additional year. In contrast to Foster's claims, United indicated that having a clearer route to becoming a regular starter was the main reason behind his decision to leave Arsenal.

The driving factor behind the deal was made apparent by United's technical director Jason Wilcox in a statement issued when the signing was confirmed. Wilcox said: "We are delighted that Ayden has joined Manchester United. He is already an extremely talented defender who is ready to join our first-team squad."

The move sees Heaven reunited with another former Arsenal youngster, Chido Obi-Martin, who joined United from the north London side in the summer. Obi-Martin has impressed in the United youth ranks with nine goals in as many games.