Manchester United supporters vented their fury at goalkeeper Altay Bayindir after his latest gaffe allowed Arsenal to take an early lead at Old Trafford.
Bayindir was handed a start in United’s Premier League curtain raiser on Sunday with No 1 Andre Onana ruled out through injury, but he found himself picking the ball out of his net in just the 13th minute after making a horror mistake.
A corner delivered by Declan Rice from the right dropped underneath Bayindir’s crossbar, and his weak attempt to fist clear instead saw the ball drop behind him, allowing the unmarked Riccardo Calafiori to tap into the empty net.
Speaking while commentating on the game for Sky Sports, Neville placed the blame for the mix-up solely at the 27-year-old’s feet despite claims he was impeded.
‘The goalkeeper has got to be stronger,’ Neville said. ‘He will complain that he was fouled. He has a player in front of him, there is a lot of pushing and pulling, but he has to be stronger. I don’t think [William] Saliba has done anything wrong.
‘The ball just goes through Bayindir’s hands and Calafiori is there to profit.’
Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s howler gifted Arsenal an early lead
Bayindir flapped at Declan Rice’s corner and the ball dropped to Riccardo Calafiori to score
The stopper complained he had been impeded but the goal was given at Old Trafford
United supporters were equally quick to take aim at the Turkish international, and they urged the club to swoop for a big-name replacement as a priority.
One X user said: ‘I can’t believe I’m wishing Andre Onana was fit to start ahead of Bayindir, what a time to be alive.’
Another added: ‘New season, same rubbish. Bayindir making Onana look decent.’
A third wrote: ‘Bayindir somehow even worse than Onana.’
One unimpressed user believes United must now sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG, despite him attracting interest from fierce rivals Manchester City.
They said: ‘United gotta go ALL IN for Donnarumma.’
Agreeing, another said: ‘Buy Donnarumma now! Oh my God! Here we go again!’
A sixth supporter added: ‘Go and get Donnarumma. Two clowns as first and second choice. [Tom] Heaton’s the best option we have.’
United supporters urged the club to swoop for Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma
Onana, who United were open to allowing to leave this summer, took part in training during pre-season but was not deemed sharp enough to start at Old Trafford.
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United are believed to have kept tabs on Donnarumma and Antwerp stopper Senne Lammens but have not yet moved for either with Onana still at the club.
Ruben Amorim revealed pre-match that Onana had not made the squad because of the performances of United’s other goalkeepers during pre-season.
‘No, he recovered,’ Amorim told MUTV when asked if Onana was still injured.
‘But the other guys did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that.’
Bayindir joined the club from Fenerbahce in September 2023 but has been criticised for several high-profile errors, particularly when conceding from set-pieces.