Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has made a rare start for Turkey as his side prepare for the World Cup this summer.
Challenging career
The Turkish international has managed just 17 appearances for the club in three seasons.
He joined from Fenerbahce in 2023 and played six times last season, starting in goal for Ruben Amorim’s side.
Bayindir had his difficulties, however, being badly at fault for Arsenal’s goal in their 1-0 win at Old Trafford to start the season.
He was soon replaced by summer signing Senne Lammens and did not get a look-in during the rest of the season after losing his starting role in October.
Transfer rumours
Clearly, it seems that the Turk has no real future at the club, and there have been numerous rumours suggesting he will be leaving this summer.
Besiktas and Trabzonspor in his native country have been linked with the player this summer.
World Cup
In spite of his lack of game time, Bayindir has been officially called up to Turkey’s World Cup squad.
As a result, he was given a rare start this season in a 4-0 friendly victory over North Macedonia yesterday.
He played 63 minutes, making one save from a shot inside the area.
Bayindir did keep a clean sheet as he was rarely tested by the opposition.
It was not a flawless performance, though, as he did make an error which resulted in a shot being taken by North Macedonia.
The keeper completed an impressive 88% of his passes and recovered the ball five times for his nation.
The Turks will play another friendly against Venezuela on Saturday night before kicking off their campaign against Australia on 14th June.
Altay Bayindir stats vs North Macedonia
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Total saves | 1 |
| Saves from inside box | 1 |
| Punches | 0 |
| High claims | 0 |
| Errors leading to shot | 1 |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 28/32 (88%) |
| Passes in opposition half (acc.) | 3/6 (50%) |
| Passes in own half (acc.) | 25/26 (96%) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 7/10 (70%) |
| Touches | 34 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Possession lost | 4 |
| Total carrying distance | 55.9 m |
| Carries | 9 |
| Total progression | 52.1 m |
| Def. contributions | 0 |
| Tackles (won) | 0 (0) |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Clearances | 0 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Ground duels (won) | 0 (0) |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Errors leading to shot | 1 |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
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