Ruben Amorim Fires Back at Critics Over Controversial Man Utd Team Choices

An animated Ruben Amorim firmly stood by his choice to field Altay Bayındır in goal for Manchester United's clash with Arsenal on Sunday, despite the Turkish keeper bearing responsibility for the match's sole strike.

United delivered an encouraging performance throughout much of their 1–0 loss at Old Trafford, compelling Arsenal's David Raya to make seven stops—the highest tally for any keeper during the Premier League's opening weekend. Nevertheless, new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha couldn't capitalize on these chances, as Riccardo Calafiori headed the Gunners to an undeserved advantage in the 13th minute.

Declan Rice delivered Arsenal's opening corner of the new Premier League season with venom, directing it into the cluster of players surrounding Bayındır. The 27-year-old keeper appeared rattled by physical contact from William Saliba and could only palm weakly at Rice's delivery, allowing Calafiori to poke home the rebound.

Bayındır's inclusion in Amorim's starting eleven came as a shock, replacing regular number one André Onana and triggering rumors about the Cameroonian's status. As his coach would subsequently clarify, Onana was left out of the matchday squad while continuing his recovery from a hamstring problem.

Onana likely wouldn't have provided greater assurance. The former Inter keeper endured a comparable experience against Arsenal at the Emirates last December during a 2–0 loss, while Bayındır himself was beaten directly from a corner against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals the previous campaign.

When Amorim faced questions at his post-match media briefing about potentially starting third-string keeper Tom Heaton instead, the Portuguese manager barely concealed his irritation. "Why?" he snapped back. The reporter referenced that Son Heung-min corner against Spurs but was interrupted before completing the comparison.

"Without VAR," Amorim interjected, reflecting on United's recent fixtures from early 2025. "With VAR, it's a foul. Then what occurred in the following match? Arsenal. Who rescued the entire game? So I weigh everything when selecting one or the other, and I picked Altay."

Bayındır earned Player of the Match honors during an FA Cup third round triumph over Arsenal last January, denying a Martin Ødegaard penalty during regulation before delivering additional penalty-saving heroics in the ensuing shootout. Amorim praised him as "our hero" that evening and maintained he was "unbelievable" on Sunday.

However, Amorim didn't completely excuse his goalkeeper's error. "Everyone must get better," he acknowledged. "The goalkeeper needs to use his hands to secure the ball. I realize we're attempting to help the game produce more goals, but sometimes enough is enough. He opts to push players and allow the ball through. But once more, those are the rules. If it's permitted, we must do likewise."

Bruno Fernandes expressed stronger criticism of the officiating that ignored Arsenal's aggressive tactics on attacking set pieces. "When you contact the goalkeeper and he cannot jump, that creates problems for Bayındır," the United captain fumed. "We understand in the Premier League they don't award much. Even though they held a meeting with us stating they would penalize more when players obstruct and don't watch the ball, it's more talk than action."