Erik ten Hag gives Altay Bayindir his big chance as he aims to become Manchester United No.1

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed he will start in goal against Newport County this weekend in the FA Cup.

The shot-stopper joined the club from Fenerbahce in the summer and was handed the No.1 shirt upon arrival. Yet despite that, he’s been forced to play understudy to goalkeeping rival Andre Onana, who also joined from Inter Milan ahead of the campaign and has started 30 times already for the Red Devils - but Sunday’s game will be Bayindir’s first appearance for the club. 

Onana is currently away on international duty with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations, which has handed Bayindir this rare opportunity to shine between the sticks. 

Yeah, he (Bayindir) will be in the goal," said Ten Hag in Friday’s press conference previewing this weekend’s FA Cup clash. "I think it is clear what we can expect from him. He waits for his chances but he is experienced. He played for a big club in Turkey where there is big pressure.

“He knows how to deal with it and we were all very convinced when we brought him into this club. That is not a decision for just one man. We are looking forward to Sunday. Altay is very motivated, of course, and he can't wait for this moment. Now, this is his moment."

Bayindir signed for Fenerbache in 2019 and made 145 appearances during his four-year stay. He built a solid reputation in that time, becoming the club’s No.1 and even being handed the captain’s armband on occasions. 

It cost United £4.3million to acquire his services last year, which was approximately £43m less than what the club paid to prize Onana from Inter Milan. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the latter has been Ten Hag’s primary choice thus far. 

However, the Cameroon star has flattered to deceive during his first season in England. He’s been guilty of several high-profile individual errors which has ploughed pressure on both him and his manager who is already under scrutiny following a poor start to the campaign. 

For that reason, this could prove a significant window of opportunity for Bayindir. 

Onana’s Cameroon reached the last 16 of AFCON and are set to face Nigeria in the quarter-final, if they win, the next round will take place on February 2nd, the day after United's planned clash with Wolves in the Premier League. 

While the FA Cup tie against League Two Newport should be a comfortable afternoon’s work for Bayindir, a professional showing combined with more minutes against Wolves next week could see him stake a claim to properly rival Onana for the No.1 shirt. 

From a shot-stopping perspective, the underlying numbers suggest this is something within Bayindir’s capabilities. He played 26 league games last season - missing the last 10 through injury - and prevented one non-penalty goal more than would have been expected based on Opta’s Expected Goals Against (xGA) model. That’s similar to Onana who so far this season has prevented two goals more than his Premier League xGA. 

Bayindir stands at 6ft6in which is taller than Onana (6ft2in) and boasts a better reach, making him a more imposing presence in the area and stronger in the air. However, his biggest task in trying to displace his United rival will be proving that he can match the former Inter player’s ability with the ball at his feet. 

Onana’s capacity to play out confidently from the back is a key reason why United signed him in the summer. Even despite his errors this season, Onana is always willing to show for the ball and take responsibility in tight situations under opposition pressure. 

His impact in this regard is highlighted to some degree by the fact United’s average in terms of goal-kick distance has dropped from 32.3 yards last season to 27.4 this season. That average is the third-lowest in the Premier League and he has been key in allowing Ten Hag to implement his preferred possession-based philosophy at the club. 

While Bayindir would need to prove he could adapt to the demands of helping United build from the back, evidence from his time with Fenerbahce does at least paint him in a positive light. 

The Turkish giants are a side that tend to dominate the ball against most sides they face - their possession average of 59.8% was the highest in the Turkish Super Lig last season. This meant Bayindir would receive lots of touches and initiate plenty of his team’s possession sequences. 

His short passing game is strong, however, Onana’s real x-factor is his ability to drive longer accurate passes into advanced wing-backs or midfielders higher up the pitch, something that can help an under-pressure backline bypass an opposition’s press. 

Last season, Bayindir posted an average of 4.9 long accurate passes per 90, and and 8.2 inaccurate long passes. For comparison this season at United, Onana is posting a similar average of 5.1 and 8.9 in both of those departments. 

This doesn’t automatically mean that Bayindir is as good as Onana on the ball, but it does suggest that the drop-off between the two might not be as significant as people would expect. 

That could give Ten Hag plenty of food for thought, especially if the Turkey international can illustrate within this short sequence of matches that he has the potential to be a more reliable long-term shot-stopper than what Onana has so far for the club.