Andre Onana may be taken out of the firing line by Erik ten Hag BEFORE AFCON... with 6ft 6in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir on track to get his chance for Man United as the Cameroonian's wobbles continue

By the end of another crazy, rollercoaster night in Europe for Manchester United, it was clear that Galatasaray might not be the only Turks to profit from Andre Onana’s shortcomings in goal.

Altay Bayindir has had to wait patiently for his chance since joining United from Fenerbahce on deadline day in September. While Onana has started his Old Trafford career by playing every game, Bayindir has got down to work in the relative privacy of Carrington without making a first-team appearance for his new club.

The 6ft 6in Turkey international was brought in to provide genuine competition for Onana, though, and it is known that the Cameroon keeper is nervous about losing his place when he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations next month and misses up to seven games for United.

The reality in the wake of another difficult Champions League night is that Onana’s 25-year-old understudy may be brought in before then. For tomorrow’s crunch game against Newcastle at St James’ Park perhaps?

Probably not, but Bayindir’s chances of taking over in goal improved significantly after Onana conceded two saveable free-kicks from Hakim Ziyech as Galatasaray fought back to hold United 3-3 in Istanbul on Wednesday night — a result that leaves Erik ten Hag’s side on the brink of elimination from the Champions League. 

They must beat Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in the final group game but will still go out if there is a winner in the Copenhagen-Galatasaray game.

As he reflected on the latest setback in Europe, Ten Hag was asked about Bayindir and the competition among his keepers.

‘Altay is getting used to the Premier League and he is getting used to European football, which is tough when you’re coming from Turkey,’ said the United manager.

‘But we are very pleased with that process, he’s doing very well. He has to be patient but if he works well, if he keeps his progress, he will get his chance and then he has to take it.

‘We are very pleased with the goalkeeper group. Andre, Altay and Tom Heaton, as a group they do really well. They have good performances and they have to push each other.’

Dropping Onana would be a huge call for Ten Hag, not least because he put his own credibility and judgment on the line by signing him in the summer.

The Dutchman called time on David de Gea’s career at United after he had won the Golden Glove award last season and broken club records for appearances and clean sheets, then paid Inter Milan £47.2million for his former Ajax keeper based on Onana’s ability with the ball at his feet.

It is what he does with his hands that is posing the biggest problem, however, with a number of high-profile blunders blighting Onana’s formative months in Manchester.

The 27-year-old looked like a man in utter despair at the final whistle in Istanbul, theatrically taking off his gloves and hurling them to the ground while screaming out in frustration.

There was a similar reaction after he allowed Leroy Sane’s shot to creep past him when United conceded the first goal of their Champions League campaign at Bayern Munich in September. They had started confidently in Bavaria but never recovered and lost 4-3.

Then there was the home game against Galatasaray when Onana’s poor pass out resulted in a penalty and red card for Casemiro. Mauro Icardi missed from the spot but scored late on in a 3-2 win.

Onana earned huge praise for his stoppage-time penalty save at home to Copenhagen which gave United their only win in Europe this season, and his form and confidence had been improving until Wednesday night.

He is by no means to blame for all 14 goals United have conceded in their five Champions League games either, but the reality is that Onana has now made seven mistakes that have led to goals in the competition, more than any other goalkeeper over the last six years. 

The irony is that Bayindir, too, came in for criticism towards the end of his spell at Fenerbahce before becoming United’s first Turkish player when he made a £4.3m move to Old Trafford.

There were concerns that his performances had been affected by shoulder surgery in 2021 and an operation on a back hernia earlier this year, as he lost the captaincy and the support of a section of fans. A more traditional keeper in the De Gea mould, Bayindir will come under similar scrutiny to Onana whenever he gets his chance, although he cost a fraction of the price.

Meanwhile, some observers continue to mischievously point out that De Gea is still without a club and available five months after his rather shoddy departure from United, with one-time England keeper Dean Henderson alsoleaving for Crystal Palace.

You suspect Ten Hag would rather play himself in goal than re-sign De Gea, but it now feels like a case of when, not if, he will have to consider taking Onana out of the firing line.