Altay Bayindir was visibly emotional after rising from the ruins of his Carabao Cup quarter-final disaster at Tottenham to become Manchester United‘s FA Cup hero against Arsenal. The Red Devils No. 1 earned instant hero status by denying Martin Odegaard from the spot in normal time before saving Kai Havertz‘s decisive penalty in the shoot-out.
Erik ten Hag signed Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce as his back-up goalkeeper in the summer of 2023, splashing £4.3million.
But the Dutchman selected him just once last season in the 4-2 FA Cup win at Newport County while Andre Onana was representing Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Bayindir’s second appearance came in the 7-0 rout over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, his final outing before Ten Hag’s sacking.
The Turkish international has already played in more games since Ten Hag’s exit than he did under the former Ajax boss’ watch.
However, he hadn’t convinced supporters, and frustrations climaxed after his role in United’s 4-3 defeat at Spurs last month, during which he conceded directly from a corner.
There was understandable scepticism when Ruben Amorim confirmed Bayindir would have another chance at the Emirates Stadium. Concerns grew during a nervy first-half display.
But the 26-year-old clicked into gear after the break, producing a series of spellbinding stops to frustrate the hosts before his penalty shoot-out heroics.
Following a win at Manchester City and a draw – that could’ve been three points – at Liverpool, United’s resilient performance at Arsenal emphasised that the players are buying into Amorim’s philosophy.
And Bayindir made that much evident in his emotional post-match interview, expressing the squad’s affection for the Portuguese head coach.
“[Ruben Amorim] is talking with us every day, and he wants to help us. We love him, and he’s always trying to do his best,” Bayindir told BBC.
“He has a very good relationship with the players, and we are trusting him; he is trusting us. We are fighting together.”
Amorim repaid the kind words to Bayindir later in the evening, branding the stopper United’s “hero” in north London.
The 39-year-old said: “He’s a good guy, he works a lot and life has beautiful things. A few weeks ago, we were suffering through a difficult moment, but now he’s like a hero for us.
“All the players in this team who have the opportunity and they are lucky because they are playing for Manchester United.
“It doesn’t matter if you play one game or 90 games. It’s always a joy to play for this club.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk