Ruben Amorim has broken his silence on the decision to start Altay Bayındır for Manchester United against Newcastle after dropping André Onana from the squad.
Manchester United make the trip to St. James’ Park on Sunday afternoon as they return to Premier League action with a clash against Newcastle United.
Sitting 13th in the table, United have struggled for goals recently, failing to score in their last two league games. However, they did find the net twice in a 2-2 Europa League draw with Lyon on Thursday night.
Ruben Amorim’s men had started to build some momentum before the March international break, but that run has since stalled following a loss to Nottingham Forest and consecutive draws against Manchester City and Lyon.
They now face a stern test against a Newcastle side pushing for a top-five finish and a Champions League spot. Eddie Howe’s team currently occupy 7th-place but have games in hand on those above them.
Amorim breaks silence on Bayındır starting
The major talking point ahead of this game is the change in goalkeeper for United, with Altay Bayındır starting in the Premier League for the first time.
André Onana had a nightmare perfromance against Lyon on Thursday and has not travelled with the squad to Newcastle, with some reports describing it as being rested.
However, Bayındır will look at the chance as one to convince Amorim of making a permanent change and the United boss believes the Turkish international “deserves” to start in this game.
He [Bayindir] deserves this opportunity,” the 40-year-old told club reporters ahead of the game. “He’s doing quite well, he played really well in the [FA] Cup and then he had this injury.
“He’s played in all of the competitions and now it’s time for him to play in the Premier League, so it’s a normal situation.”
Speaking further on the decision to leave Onana out of the entire squad, Amorim told Sky Sports: “Sometimes, you have to push the player to play again; sometimes, you have to let him disconnect a little bit.
“Tomorrow, he will be in training to prepare for the next one, so I felt that it was a good time for Andre to disconnect.”
Amass included in United XI vs Newcastle
The other significant change to United’s side is the inclusion of 18-year-old left-back Harry Amass in the starting XI at St James’ Park.
After making his official debut against Leicester City last month, Amass has come in to start for the very first time in the first-team and he will be hoping to impress.
“I think he’s doing the right things. He’s training quite well,” continued Amorim when asked about the teenager making the team.
“And then when you have situations when you have to rotate some players, they deserve the opportunity, but they have to show.
“No big pressure on him. He knows what to do. He needs to enjoy and it’s a good game for him to feel what it is to play for Manchester United.”
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