Altay Bayindir conceded four goals on his Premier League debut as Manchester United were thrashed by Newcastle after Ruben Amorim decided to drop Andre Onana from the squad
Altay Bayindir had been waiting 18 months for his Premier League debut in a Manchester United shirt, but it didn’t go to plan. Bayindir was thrust into the spotlight by manager Ruben Amorim on Sunday afternoon, with Andre Onana dropped from the squad after his nightmare against Lyon on Thursday.
Bayindir has sat on the substitutes’ bench ever since arriving from Fenerbahce in September 2023, with Onana the undisputed number one under Erik ten Hag and Amorim. The former Inter Milan keeper had started 69 successive Premier League matches until the news came that Bayindir would finally get his opportunity against Newcastle.
The Turkey international had played seven times for United in other competitions, but his league debut came at St James’ Park. And it did not go well, with Newcastle tearing the away side apart to claim a deserved 4-1 win.
In truth, there was little he could have done to prevent Sandro Tonali’s blasted finish or Harvey Barnes’ double, which consisted of a tap-in and a pinpoint shot into the top corner. But the fourth, which came from Bruno Guimaraes, was the kind of blunder goalkeepers have nightmares about.
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Bayindir casually tried to chip the ball out from the back, but didn’t clear Joelinton, who nodded the ball down for Guimaraes. The Brazilian calmly found the bottom corner to make the points safe – and prompt a torrent of messages on social media from disgruntled United fans.
They all had a similar message: the problems run much deeper than Onana. «Safe to say Onana isn’t the problem,» one fan wrote on X. Another added: «Onana is having a laugh right now».
«Onana isn’t good enough but Bayindir isn’t the answer…» a third wrote. «United dropped Onana only to play Bayindir, different players, same story. Total humbling,» a fourth added.
Another fan had a suggestion for United heading into the summer transfer window: re-signing David de Gea. They wrote: «De Gea still around so maybe sell off Bayindir and Onana for £10 a piece and use the £20 for funds towards bringing De Gea back».
Onana has made more errors directly leading to goals than any other Premier League goalkeeper since his debut in 2023. He was at fault for both of Lyon’s goals in their 2-2 draw in the Europa League on Thursday and was taken out of the firing line by Amorim for this game.
«He deserved this opportunity,» Amorim said of Bayindir. «He’s doing quite well, he did really well in the cup, then he had the injury. He’s played in all competitions for our club and now it’s time to play in the Premier League. So it’s a normal situation.»
After the Lyon game, Amorim made it clear that United win – or more likely – lose as a team. «When one player has a mistake, all the team has a mistake, so we continue like that,» he said.
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