Manchester United have some seriously tough fixtures coming up in 2024.
Erik ten Hag has one more task remaining in 2023, as the Red Devils travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, looking to round out the calendar year with a victory.
After that 2024 looms. Manchester United are out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup, so only the Premier League and FA Cup remain.
Just 14 days in, United face a seriously tough test at Old Trafford, which may be made even tougher with a potential debut incoming.
Altay Bayindir likely to play against Spurs in Andre Onana absence
Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur on the 14th of January 2024 in the Premier League, with Erik ten Hag looking for revenge as he saw his team lose 2-0 in North London.
If he is to – he’ll have to do it without his number-one goalkeeper. News broke today that Andre Onana would be heading to AFCON against Cameroon, with the tournament beginning on Saturday the 13th of January 2024, one day before the Spurs fixture.
This will be the first occasion United can’t feature the £47m summer signing this season, which means a debut for Altay Bayindir could be on the cards.
The Turkish shot-stopper was also a Ten Hag summer signing, but so far hasn’t featured in any competition during his time in Manchester. However, Ten Hag may be faced with no choice against Ange Postecoglou’s side.
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Baptism of fire for Altay Bayindir?
Of course, United do have Tom Heaton they could also call upon, but Bayindir surely is the more likely option – he was signed for a reason.
There also could very well be a circumstance that Baynidir starts against Wigan in the FA Cup the week before, to give the Turk some necessary game time before what will be a baptism of fire.
Spurs have some of the best attackers in the entirety of the Premier League. Son Heung-Min, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson and Richarlison are all in contention to feature and are all ever so dangerous.
Bayindir will be thrown into the deep end if this is the case. It’ll be interesting how Ten Hag deals with this impending situation.
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