Andre Onana has raved about Altay Bayindir after Manchester United’s back-up goalkeeper provided heroics against Arsenal last weekend.
Manchester United beat Arsenal on penalties in the FA Cup third round and Altay Bayindir took the headlines after denying Martin Odegaard from the spot in normal time.
It was Bayindir’s best performance for United since joining the club in 2023, when he was signed from Turkish outfit Fenerbahce by Erik ten Hag.
Bayindir was the subject of criticism towards the end of 2024 after he conceded directly from a corner against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
United’s second-choice goalkeeper made amends against Arsenal last weekend, with a man-of-the-match display between the sticks.
Andre Onana hails Altay Bayindir
Andre Onana was rested for United’s win over Arsenal.
The Cameroon international was named the bench as Bayindir earned a rare start between the sticks.
Onana has revealed that the squad is proud of Bayindir, who celebrated the win by taking fellow United first-team members out for dinner.
“We all congratulated him because he did a fantastic job. We are all proud of him,” Onana told the official Manchester United website.
“He’s here for a year and a half, or even more, and he’s working hard every day. Now he gets his reward. He deserves it.
“He invited us, by the way, to the restaurant [after the game] because he had such a nice performance. Hopefully, he’s going to invite us more, much more, because that means he will continue playing like this!”
By stating that he hopes Bayindir continues to perform as he did against Arsenal, it may seem like Onana is suggesting he enjoyed his night off at the Emirates Stadium.
But Onana is at his happiest when he is starting games for United.
It shows there is good chemistry within the squad with everyone is on the same page.
Manchester United have a new cup goalkeeper
After playing in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and featuring against Arsenal in the FA Cup, it looks like Ruben Amorim has plans to keep using Bayindir in cup competitions.
This means Onana and co may be treated to more nights out for dinner, should the Turkey international pull off the same heroics in the latter stages of the FA Cup.
Onana has played in all of the Europa League games up until this point and that is unlikely to change when United host Rangers next week.
Bayindir will be encouraged to stay at United if he is given games to prove himself.
Otherwise, Bayindir won’t be starting games for Turkey.
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