There is seldom a lonelier place in football, at times, than the role one of Erik ten Hag’s many Manchester United signings is playing right now at the Premier League giants.
And with reports this week linking the 26-year-old with a move away from Old Trafford, the comments he made to the press back home will do little to quell any speculation.
Altay Bayindir relishes his status as a Manchester United player. He loves living in the vibrant surroundings of England’s north west, too.
But what the Turkey international does not enjoy quite so much is his very limited game time.
A year-and-a-half on from his £4.3 million arrival from Fenerbahce, Bayindir has featured only three times with Barnsley and Newport accounting for two-thirds of his Red Devils appearances. Bayindir is yet to make his Premier League or European debut.
As such, he is fighting a losing battle trying to claim the number one shirt for the Turkish national team, having not featured since Bayindir’s mix-up gifted Portugal a goal at this summer’s European Championships.
And, while the perennial benchwarmer is not yet at the stage where he is dropping a transfer request on Ruben Amorim’s desk, frustration does appear to be setting in.
Altay Bayindir wants more game time amid Manchester United exit rumours
“It feels great to be here [but] I need to find more playing time in my position,” Bayindir tells BeIN Sports. “If you are happy when you are not playing, it is not a good thing for a professional football player. Of course, you need to approach it in a healthy way without disrupting the energy of the environment.
“It is difficult for me as someone who always wants to play. But I always continue to work for some things to change.”
According to reports, Altay Bayindir is expected to leave Man United in pursuit of more regular first-team football either in January or next summer. The Red Devils have been linked with potential replacements, meanwhile, with a couple of the EFL’s rising stars allegedly under consideration.
Man United like Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, as well as Wigan Athletic’s Sam Tickle.
Bayindir will be sad to depart Manchester when the day comes to pack his bags, though, with a player who grew up watching United legend Edwin van der Sar very closely now following in the iconic Dutchman’s footsteps.
Bayindir inspired by Champions League hero Edwin van der Sar
“The city of Manchester is very beautiful,” adds Bayindir, a Turkish Cup winner with Fenerbahce and an FA Cup champion at United.
“I have also been to London. London is incredibly beautiful too, but I like Manchester more because the people are more positive, it is not very crowded, and the traffic issue is very important. Therefore, Manchester is a place I love. I am happy and feel at home.
“I watched a lot of players and goalkeepers at a young age. Among the goalkeepers I liked and admired, I can say Van der Sar and Oliver Kahn are the goalkeepers I took as role models.
“I have my own path. I am a person who follows my own path [but] there are goalkeepers I watch and take as role models. I tried to adopt the things they did well by studying them. I worked that way.
“I can say that I was motivated by them.”
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