Manchester United can’t afford an Andre Onana repeat with Altay Bayindir

When Manchester United spent £47million on Andre Onana in July, they wouldn’t have expected to be losing their goalkeeper for up to a month in the New Year. When that deal was done, Onana had retired from international football and the door for a return appeared closed.

But relations have thawed between Onana and Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, who fell out during the World Cup a year ago leading to the goalkeeper calling time on his international career. Onana returned to national team duty in September and a place in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad has appeared a formality since then.

Erik ten Hag has been diplomatic about the decision when asked, but his exit wouldn’t have been in United’s plans. The £4.3million deal to sign Altay Bayindir in the summer strengthened the goalkeeping group, but Turkey’s No. 2 was a low-cost replacement for Dean Henderson. Now, he will be thrust into the spotlight after this weekend’s trip to Nottingham Forest.

Onana’s departure after the game at the City Ground comes at a point when he is starting to really make an impact at Old Trafford. His superb reflect save to keep out Leon Bailey’s volley in the second half on Boxing Day was crucial in United’s comeback.

The former Ajax and Inter Milan goalkeeper has had a testing start to his career at the club and it was for reasons of adaption that he has played every minute of the season so far, including in the Carabao Cup games against Crystal Palace and Newcastle. It was a surprise to see Onana start in the third round against Palace, rather than giving a game to Bayindir or Tom Heaton.

“You will see [if Bayindir gets a chance to play soon], but we chose against Crystal Palace in the League Cup to play Andre because both came new in and both have to adapt to the English standard,” Ten Hag explained at the time. “So that’s why we preferred Andre to play in that game. It’s important for him to use every game in this moment, but yeah, we also have to progress Altay, that’s clear.

“He makes a very good impression in training, he’s really developing, progressing. So we’re very happy with that and we are convinced we have the two right goalkeepers in our squad to do the job for us.”

Those words could arguably now act as a warning of what lies ahead for Bayindir, the 25-year-old with eight international caps to his name who is stepping up considerably from playing for Fenerbahce. Ten Hag felt Onana needed those games to help with his development to English football and into this team. Bayindir will now require the same when the No. 1 departs after the weekend.

Bayindir’s debut is likely to come in the FA Cup third round at Wigan on January 8, when Ten Hag might now feel he needs to play his strongest possible defence in front of the new goalkeeper. After that there will be games against Tottenham, Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa in the Premier League. All of those look testing fixtures at the moment.

It felt like United were gaining momentum with that rip-roaring second-half comeback against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. If they can maintain that by winning at Forest on Saturday, then Bayindir will step into a team beginning to find some form. It will make it crucial that he slots in seamlessly, with the pressure on United to start making up the ground to the top four.

They’ve already had to go through the process of bedding in one new goalkeeper this season. It needs to be a much smoother transition in January.