When Andre Onana left Manchester United, in the final days of the summer transfer window, it cleared the way for a fierce goalkeeper position battle. Onana went on season long loan to Trabzonspor, and since his departure, Altay Bayindir and deadline day signing Senne Lammens have been battling it out for for the starting spot in between the sticks. Lammens started the final game before the current international break, a 2-0 win over Sunderland.
However, Bayindir was the No. 1 shot shopper prior to that game.
Latest Man United Injury Report: go here
Bayindir believes there is a healthy competition between the two goalies (we have more on Lammens in this post), and that their position battle is good, for both of them, and for the team as well.
“That is the way, everyone has to be together, always,” Bayindir is quoted in the Manchester Evening News. “We have a good group, a good goalkeeper group, and we are always pushing each of ourselves on the pitch. Of course, we are fighting for the shirt, but in the outside, we have a good relationship, like how we did with Andre.
“He’s at Trabzonspor and he’s doing well.”
Up next is the first of the two annual meetings with Liverpool, on October 19, a week from Sunday. These matches are always the most anticipated of the year, regardless of what the standings look like. United will head into the Northwest England rivalry clash sitting tenth in the table, which is obviously not where they want to be.
The Turkish international believes they will get it right, and make major improvements, but he knows that it’s going to be a challenge. And that a whole lot of hard work will required.
Bayindir continued:
“Everyone needs to work good, you know? Everyone needs to be focused… After the game, we are doing the analysis. We’re seeing everything… which parts we have to improve—everything. When you can catch the routine, you can be better every game, because it’s about experience.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires 4etwork. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter