Altay Bayindir has been repeatedly snubbed despite Andre Onana's endless gaffes - why don't Man Utd trust him?

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.

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.

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.

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 The Times, 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.

Bayindir was heavily booed by his own supporters after conceding three goals inside the opening 30 minutes against Rennes in the Europa League in October 2022 (the game ended 3-3) and four months later was singled out again by Fenerbahce fans during a humiliating 3-0 home defeat by arch rivals Galatasaray.

At the start of this season a fan hurled a bottle at him after conceding a goal against minnows Gaziantep. It proved to be Bayindir's final game in a Fenerbahce shirt and two weeks later he had clinched his move to United, knowing he was about to be usurped by new signing Dominik Livakovic, the Croatia No. 1.

"In Turkey the players are under enormous pressure. For the fans there is no middle ground: either you are the hero or the loser," Bayindir's former goalkeeping coach at Fenerbahce, Michael Kraft, told The Guardian. "He has courage, explosiveness and quick reactions. With his height he has an incredible reach to hold on to unstoppable shots. This move to Manchester United is a good new beginning for Altay."

The new beginning did not have the impact Bayindir might have hoped for, though. According to The Times he did not impress his new team-mates in his first few training sessions with United, although he has since improved and worked hard to bulk up.

He is also not as adept with his feet as Onana, and Ten Hag is determined for United to become better at playing out from the back. It is why he has persisted with the Cameroonian despite all the problems he has had adapting to English football.

Bayindir, however, could convince Ten Hag that he should be his No.1 if he can demonstrate he is a better shot-stopper than his team-mate. For all Onana's qualities on the ball, he seems to lack the most basic qualities you would look for in any goalkeeper.

United are conceding far too many shots per game and Onana has struggled to deal with them. The Red Devils currently rank 12th in the Premier League when it comes to allowing shots on target (100). Onana has let in 28 of them, while conceding a further 18 goals in eight matches in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

If Bayindir can give United realistic expectations of shipping fewer goals then it could be his ticket into the starting XI. It means that Sunday's match at Newport could be the making of Bayindir at United. Ten Hag said: "I think it is clear what we can expect from him. He waits for his chances but he is experienced. He played for a big club in Turkey where there is big pressure.

"He knows how to deal with it and we were all very convinced when we brought him into this club. That is not a decision for just one man. We are looking forward to Sunday. Altay is very motivated, of course, and he can't wait for this moment. Now, this is his moment."