Alleged doubts about Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir from within Man Utd's squad have led to a belief that Tom Heatson finally deserves an opportunity.
Man Utd players unsettled by goalkeepersOnana & Bayindir struggling for formHeaton reportedly doing well in trainingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
A report from claims that some member of the first-team squad think Heaton has performed better in training than Onana and Bayindir, both of whom are ahead of the veteran in the goalkeeping pecking order. Those players now think Ruben Amorim ought to throw caution to the wind and hand the 39-year-old the opportunity to prove that in a game. Unease surrounding Onana and Bayindir was already developing.
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Onana's pre-season injury saw Amorim go with Bayindir when the Premier League season began earlier this month, only for the Turkiye international to make a costly error that led to the only goal in a narrow defeat against Arsenal. He also came under fire after the win over Burnley, prompting another staunch defence from the head coach. But, even after returning to fitness, Onana wasn't recalled, except for the horror show that ensued against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup. United are thought to be in the market for a new goalkeeper before the transfer deadline, in talks over a deal for Senne Lammens and lining up Emiliano Martinez as a back-up option.
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Occupying the role of a seldom used third choice goalkeeper since he returned to Old Trafford in 2021, Heaton hasn't made a competitive first-team appearance in two-and-a-half years and his most recent run as a regular starter came with Aston Villa in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign. But he is a popular member of the United squad and is thought to be well liked around the club.
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The Red Devils don't play again until after the September international break, so calls for Heaton to start ahead of Onana and Bayindir would only be relevant if neither Lammens nor Martinez, or indeed anyone else, is signed before the transfer window closes. But it would be a baptism of fire for whoever because the next game is a Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on September 14.
