Ruben Amorim has supported goalkeeper Altay Bayindir after Manchester United’s tight 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in their Premier League opener, despite the Turkish international being at fault for the only goal of the game.
The United boss rejected advice that the club needs to look for a new goalkeeper during the remaining weeks of the transfer window.
Bayindir was handed a surprise start ahead of Andre Onana, who had only recently returned to full training after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury. Although Onana was deemed fit ahead of the match, Amorim opted to give Bayindir the nod. The decision came under scrutiny after Bayindir failed to deal with a Declan Rice corner, allowing Riccardo Calafiori to score what proved to be the match-winner.
Despite the costly mistake, Amorim defended his goalkeeper during a tense post-match news conference, insisting he remains satisfied with his options between the posts.
“I’m happy with the three goalkeepers,” Amorim said. “He [Bayindir] chooses to get the ball, but he’s getting pushed. That is my feeling when I see the play.
“You choose to push a player [out of the way] or to get the ball in that moment. He needs to use his hands to catch the ball, not push players. He chooses to push players and let the ball pass.”
Ahead of the game, Amorim had already addressed Onana’s fitness during his prematch media duties. While confirming the Cameroonian was available for selection, he explained that rushing him back into competitive action was not ideal.
“I didn’t drop Onana from the squad,” Amorim clarified. “It’s not the case of dropping Onana. It’s not putting Andre Onana in just one week without seeing the game, without time, with training.
“Tom [Heaton] and Bayindir, during the preseason, they did a good job.”
Although the result was disappointing, Amorim found positives in the team’s performance. Manchester United created multiple chances and, for large portions of the game, looked the more threatening side. Patrick Dorgu struck the post in the first half, and new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both saw efforts denied by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
“It’s that feeling that we played better,” said Amorim. “We were the better team, but in the end we lost the game. I’m really proud of the work that they put on the field and that is important to move forward.
“We proved today that we can win any game in the Premier League, especially against a great team like Arsenal, and we were the better team.”
Amid the on-field developments, Amorim also made headlines with his decision to leave Rasmus Højlund out of the matchday squad. The Danish striker, who joined United in the summer of 2023, is now the subject of transfer speculation. One potential suitor is AC Milan, whose sporting director confirmed interest in the forward, stating: “Højlund is a good option for us. We are thinking about him but in transfer market you never know what could happen.
