Ex-Man United defender thinks Erik ten Hag will make baffling XI change vs Newport

Ex-Manchester United defender Wes Brown believes that Erik ten Hag will make a baffling XI change as the club face Newport County in the FA Cup.

Manchester United‘s next fixture does not arrive until Sunday, 28 January, when the Reds travel south-west to face Newport County in the FA Cup.

Last time out, Erik ten Hag‘s men were held to a 2-2 draw against Tottenham despite goals from Rasmus Højlund and Marcus Rashford.

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With André Onana currently competing in AFCON with Cameroon, it is unlikely that he will be able to make it back in time for United’s FA Cup trip, meaning that Ten Hag will have to select a new goalkeeper for the fixture.

Wes Brown, the former United defender, believes that although Altay Bayındır was brought in to be the club’s second-choice in goal, he believes that Ten Hag will instead choose to play Tom Heaton.

Speaking on MUTV’s The Debate, the he said: “I just feel that Tom’s played before, obviously he’s very experienced. I’ve been watching warm-ups ahead of games, and I always notice Tom goes in the nets first and gets everything done.

“Everyone thinks he won’t play. He’s played matches before, When needed he’s put him in, he’s done fine, there have been no problems, I just feel Tom’s going to play.”

The idea that Ten Hag will play Heaton over Bayındır is somewhat baffling, considering that Bayındır was brought in with the intent of being Onana’s deputy on a 5-year contract but is yet to make his debut for the club.

Speaking to club media, Bayındır recently addressed the competition for places in goal, saying that although they are all against each other, it is purely professional.

“All the goalkeepers, their character is very nice. We are always positive,” he said. “Of course, we are fighting [to be] on the pitch, because everyone wants to play with the team in the stadium.

“But we have a good energy. It doesn’t matter who is playing, because we will, of course, support them every time.

“Team spirit is very important, you know? If we are doing this, we can be successful in the game, it’s very important. I think if we’re always doing that, we can always go up.”