MANCHESTER UNITED keeper Altay Bayindir could finally make his Old Trafford debut tonight, more than one year after joining the club.
The shot-stopper, 26, was signed by Erik ten Hag from Fenerbahce on Deadline Day 12 months ago for £4.3million.
However, opportunities have been hard to come by for the Turkey international due to the ever-present Andre Onana.
Bayindir’s only appearance last season came in the FA Cup third round in a 4-2 away win over Newport.
He was only selected over Onana on that occasion due to the Cameroonian being at the Africa Cup of Nations.
But now he is poised for a first game in front of the Man Utd fans when they take on Barnsley in the Carabao Cup this evening.
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Speaking to the club website, he said: “I need to be ready always and I’m just waiting. I’m just working hard and, if you are a football player, you don’t know when a chance can come to you. And you need to be ready.
“I’m working hard at the training ground and it’s just that I want to play. I need more of a chance to take.
“Of course, it’s important for a player and I can say, in football, you have to do different things in training and in a game. They are two different things.
“You can work hard and do everything on the training ground but you need to show yourself in the game. It’s more important because, if you will show yourself in the game, everyone can see it because, of course, you need to work hard and you need to show yourself on the training ground.
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“But it’s two different things. You need to show yourself in the game and on the pitch.
“I didn’t get a long time of chances last year, I was just playing one game. And it is not enough for my personality but, in life, anything can happen. You just need to be focused.”
Bayindir made history against Newport last season as he became the first Turkish player to pull on a Man Utd shirt.
But he is still waiting on a first clean sheet which he will hope comes at home to League One Barnsley.
Erik ten Hag picked up his first trophy with Man Utd in the Carabao Cup in 2023, before he added the FA Cup last season.
His side have endured a difficult start to their Premier League campaign, losing two of their opening four games against Brighton and Liverpool.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
