Altay Bayindir had to be extremely patient before getting his opportunity to shine at Manchester United.
Manchester United booked their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup after beating Arsenal and Altay Bayindir was the penalty shootout hero.
Bayindir broke a 10-year record with his penalty heroics after saving Martin Odegaard’s penalty effort in normal time and then denying Kai Havertz in the shootout.
Bruno Fernandes piled praise on Bayindir, as did Ruben Amorim after full-time. Bayindir may have saved his United career across his 120-minute performance having previously been linked with an exit this month.
Bayindir was awful against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup this season, with many assuming it may have even been his last game for the club. However, Amorim kept faith in his second-choice keeper and Bayindir repaid him with a brilliant display.
But Bayindir’s heroic performance was not a matter of luck, he has been working hard behind the scenes to make himself match-ready.
Why Altay Bayindir did not play much for Man United last season
Manchester United signed Altay Bayindir for £4.3m back in 2023, but he had to wait until Sunday afternoon to truly announce himself to supporters.
Signed as a back-up to Andre Onana, Bayindir never seemed to earn the trust of Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman also playing Onana in cup competitions last season.
Bayindir’s only appearance in 2023/24 was in the FA Cup fourth-round win over Newport County. For the rest of that cup campaign, Onana was between the sticks. The same in the Carabao Cup.
Ten Hag did promise Bayindir he would play in cup competitions this season and so far Amorim has honoured that promise.
Journalist Carl Anka has now offered some insight as to why Bayindir struggled to make his way into United’s lineup last season.
Speaking via the Talk of the Devils podcast, Anka said: “I know one of the issues with Bayindir’s integration last season was communication. He was not the most confident communicator in English last season.
“Sometimes, especially as a goalkeeper, you do need little bits of communication to your backline.”
Altay Bayindir has worked hard to improve language skills
Just days before the Arsenal match, Amorim admitted the one skill he’d love to have is to speak every language. It is hugely important in modern football with such a wide variety of characters in the dressing room.
Amorim has been hailed an excellent communicator, and Bayindir is following suit after working hard to improve his language skills.
After starring against Arsenal, Bayindir answered multiple questions in fluent English which shows just how far he has come since his 2023 move.
“Everyday he’s [Amorim] talking with us and he wants to help us. We love him and he’s always trying to do his best,” Amorim said after full-time.
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