Goalkeeping woes once again proving costly for Ruben Amorim’s side. With first-choice keeper Andre Onana sidelined due to fitness concerns, Altay Bayindir was handed the starting role.
United began brightly, energizing Old Trafford with a lively atmosphere, but their early dominance was undone by a defensive lapse.
Declan Rice delivered a dangerous corner from the right that dropped just beneath Bayindir’s crossbar.
Under pressure from William Saliba, the Turkish goalkeeper failed to deal with the ball cleanly, barely getting a touch before it fell perfectly for Riccardo Calafiori to nod home from point-blank range.
The goal deflated United’s momentum and shifted control to Arsenal, who began dictating play with sharp passing and quick transitions.
The hosts were forced to rely on counter-attacks, with Bryan Mbeumo emerging as their most threatening outlet.
Fans took to social media to blast the hapless United keeper, with one user saying: “So ridiculously basic, p*** off Bayindr, weak as hell. Just amateur, amateur beyond belief.”
A second blasted: “I’d rather see a youth goalkeeper play than this current clown. Embarrassingly bad Bayindir.” While a third echoed: “Bayindr has no presence at all man, he’s not built for prem sell please.”
Another fumed: “Bayindir useless yet again.” A fifth added: “Bayindir is the only keeper in the league worse than Onana, absolutely useless”. As a sixth said: “Bayindir is Andre Onana 2.0.”
Onana was absent from the matchday lineup as the Cameroonian goalkeeper remains sidelined due to an injury that kept him out of pre-season action.
Despite this setback, there had been optimism surrounding his potential availability for United’s Premier League opener at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are reportedly eyeing Gianluigi Donnarumma as a possible addition to their squad.
However, they’re not alone in the pursuit—Manchester City are also said to be interested in the Italian shot-stopper, having notably omitted their own first-choice goalkeeper from their season opener as well.
