Not everything is going according to plan for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, but if the Portuguese can boast of anything, it is the fact that his side are playing well in derbies.
In the Premier League, since the arrival of Amorim, the "Devils" have defeated Manchester City, played a draw with Liverpool and lost to Arsenal. But United waited for their five minutes last night in London and in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, after a penalty, eliminated the "gunners" (5:3, 1:1 after 120 minutes).
The London derby got a completely unexpected hero. It is about the Turkish goalkeeper, Altai Bajindir, who excelled at the "Emirates", so he was declared the player of the match.
Bayindir arrived at Manchester United from Fenerbahçe in September 2023, and was in the spotlight in mid-December last year, when he conceded a goal directly from a corner in the League Cup match against Tottenham. Criticism from fans followed, Bayindir went through difficult moments, but last night he shone and took the "devils" to the next round.
"A memorable victory. We never give up. We will continue to fight for this crest and achieve victories together, thanks to our passion and fans," said the Turkish goalkeeper after the game.
In the regular part of the game, Bajindir saved a penalty against Edegora, and then in the penalty shootout, he also stopped Haverc. He became the first goalkeeper since the 2013/2014 season. who saved a penalty in the regular part and in the penalty shootout in the FA Cup.
"The life of a football player has ups and downs. And that life can change after a few days, as is the case with Altai. He is a good guy, he is hardworking, and today he was our hero," said Amorim.
Bajindir does not have the opportunity to be on the field very often.
"All the players in this team have the opportunity to play, and they are lucky to be at Manchester United. It doesn't matter if you play one game or 90, you should always be happy because you are at United," Amorim explained.
And maybe Bajindir will be between the posts more often after the match with Arsenal.
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