da aviator aposta： The Turkish goalkeeper is set to finally make his Red Devils' debut at Newport County on Sunday, far later than he would have imagined

da pinnacle： When Altay Bayindir joined Manchester United he knew he had been signed as a backup goalkeeper and would have been bracing himself for a long initial period on the substitutes' bench. But he surely wouldn't have expected to have waited this long to don his gloves and get on the pitch.

Bayindir is finally set to make his debut on Sunday against Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup as Andre Onana is returning from international duty for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. Instead of Old Trafford or one of the top grounds in the Premier League, Bayindir will make his bow at the rather less glamorous Rodney Parade, in front of 9,000 supporters after a temporary stand was erected to cope with the surge in demand for tickets.

Bayindir is used to playing in front of intimidating crowds in Turkey but this will be something quite different for him, a baptism of fire at the bottom of the British football pyramid. And it is hard not to think that the fact he will be making his debut in such unglamorous surroundings, almost five months after signing from Fenerbahce on transfer deadline day, reflects a lack of confidence in him from Erik ten Hag and the rest of United's coaching staff…

Getty ImagesOnana keeps making blunders

The Turkey international knew that he'd be playing second fiddle to Onana after United spent £47m ($60m) on signing the Cameroonian from Inter, but he could have hardly hoped for a better rival for the jersey. Onana has proved to be a terrible signing, making a series of unbelievable gaffes in his first five-and-a-half months with United.

He has performed particularly badly in the Champions League and was a big factor in the Red Devils finishing bottom of their group. His clanger away to Galatasaray and his bungled attempt at a save from Leroy Sane against Bayern Munich led to him having the unfortunate status of making the most errors leading to goals (seven) of any 'keeper in the competition since 2018-19.

Onana has made a handful of top-drawer stops, above all his last-gasp penalty save against Copenhagen, but has not come close to making amends for his gaffes. He has an unorthodox goalkeeping style to say the least, seeming incapable of rushing out towards strikers to narrow their shooting angles.

And he has failed to put his much renowned ability on the ball to good use. Although he has been an upgrade on David de Gea in that area, Onana has resorted too often to booting it downfield, just like the Spaniard did for the majority of his 12-year career with United.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesSnubbed in the Carabao Cup

However, Onana has not paid any price for his repeated howlers, playing every single minute of United's season so far. It was a surprise to see the Cameroonian line-up against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, a game which seemed perfect for Bayindir to cut his teeth with his new club. Onana also started in the next round of the competition against Newcastle, who knocked United out with a dominant 3-0 win.

Ten Hag, who worked with Onana at Ajax, explained that his big-money signing had to play as often as possible to help him adapt to English football and to United's style of play, effectively saying Bayindir would have to wait his turn.

But if missing out on the Carabao Cup felt like a snub for the new arrival, it was nothing compared to what was to take place in January.

Getty ImagesCameroon deal reflected badly on Bayindir

Bayindir would have expected to get his big chance in the FA Cup third round against Wigan, especially when Onana was called up to Cameroon's squad for the African Cup of Nations. But United struck a surprising deal with Cameroon, allowing them to hold on to Onana until January 14, the day before they were due to begin their AFCON campaign, in order to play in the Premier League game against Tottenham.

Bayindir made the short trip to Wigan with the squad but sat on the bench as Onana started yet again in the 2-0 win. It might have been understandable to not want to give Bayindir his debut against a team as dangerous as Tottenham, but not fielding him against Wigan felt like a lack of respect.

United's unorthodox deal with Cameroon has proved a disaster for everyone involved, not least Onana, who did not play in the opening game against Guinea, had a terrible performance in the 3-1 defeat by Senegal and was then dropped against Gambia. He also did not play against Nigeria as Cameroon went crashing out in the round of 16. And it felt like such a controversial deal would not have been deemed necessary if United had any faith in their backup goalkeeper.

(C)Getty ImagesConstantly seeking to improve

So why has Ten Hag been so reluctant to start Bayindir, who has played for one of Turkey's top clubs and is a seasoned international? The 25-year-old has the right genes to be a 'keeper, standing at 6 ft 6 in. Indeed, it was his height that led to his mother encouraging him to switch position from forward to guarding the net when he was a child.

Bayindir left his home of Bursa to move to the Turkish capital Ankara at the age of 15 to play for Ankaragucu, becoming the club's captain by the time he was 18. By the age of 20 he was playing for Istanbul giants Fenerbahce and also skippering them.

Bayindir was described as remarkably mature for his age when he was a youngster and he spent his first paycheck from Ankaragucu investing in a sports psychologist. While at Fenerbahce, he took English lessons three times a week, which served him well when he signed for United.

According to , he has taken more steps to boost his personal growth since joining the Red Devils, hiring a personal dietician, physio and athletic performance coach while taking a keen interest in sleep and nutrition.

However, there is a sense that Bayindir is taking all these steps as his career has stalled after making such a strong start. Injuries to his shoulder and hernia knocked him off course and affected his form, leading Fenerbahce's fans to turn on him on several occasions in his final year at the club.