Manchester United have been dealt a fresh injury setback as Altay Bayindir is sidelined for the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Leicester City, adding to Ruben Amorim’s selection headache. Bayindir was instrumental in United’s third-round victory over Premier League rivals Arsenal, where he made crucial saves and denied both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz from the penalty spot.
His most recent performance involved a clean sheet in a 2-0 triumph against FCSB, which confirmed United’s progression to the Europa League last 16.
However, Amorim has now announced that the Turkish goalkeeper is the latest player to be out of action due to injury.
He will miss the upcoming match against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Foxes, in addition to fellow goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
With this turn of events, Andre Onana looks set to keep his spot without getting rest as initially anticipated.
Speaking to MUTV, Amorim stated: “Altay, I think, he has a problem. So he is not available for the game.
“Tom [Heaton] is also not for this game, but he can play the other ones [in the future]. So the rest are ready. The important thing is we are ready to face the game.”
With Bayindir and Heaton unavailable, Elyh Harrison, Hubert Graczyk and Dermot Mee are set to compete for a spot in the squad.
The highly-rated Harrison, back from a rewarding loan at Chester, had already taken his place on the bench for the Premier League defeat against Crystal Palace.
Lisandro Martinez will be absent after sustaining an ACL injury during the match with Palace. Adding to United’s woes, Luke Shaw faces another spell on the sidelines due to a fresh injury concern.
Amorim added: “Licha [Martinez] is a difficult situation. We don’t know the extent of the injury but it’s an injury that is going to take time.
“Luke, just a little bit. There is one small issue in a different area from the last injury, so we’ll try to be careful with Luke.”
The manager also expressed the challenges in estimating recovery times, adding: “It’s hard. It’s hard to give you a time because he has a small issue different from the injury.
“Then he has to stop. Then we have to return a little bit to work the fitness, to be aware of the last injury. So it’s a complicated moment to try to tell you a timeline.
“I don’t want any pressure on the medical department or on Luke. We just need the players fit to help the team.”
Jonny Evans, who won the FA Cup with Leicester in 2021, is also expected to miss the game through injury. Mason Mount, who experienced defeat with Chelsea in that same final, is likewise sidelined.
Despite the setbacks and amid the poor start to his reign, with only five wins out of 13 games, Amorim should field a strong team to face a struggling Leicester side.
This article was originally on the Mirror
