Manchester United’s summer signing, Altay Bayindir, might have to wait even longer for his debut. Despite expecting to impress Erik ten Hag in the FA Cup clash against Newport with Andre Onana away at AFCON, another name has emerged as the potential starter; Tom Heaton.

Wes Brown, a former United defender, believes that the 37-year-old, currently United’s third-choice goalkeeper, could get the nod against the League Two side.

READ: Who is Man United Keeper Altay Bayindir? Turkiye’s Rising Star

Despite only playing in two Carabao Cup matches since his return in 2021, Heaton could be preferred to the Turkish shot-stopper.

“I just feel that Tom’s played before, obviously he’s very experienced,” Brown told MUTV. “I’ve been watching warm-ups ahead of games and I always notice Tom goes in 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 not problems, I just feel Tom’s going to play.”

Adding to the uncertainty, Onana’s situation throws another curveball. Initially called up late for Cameroon and not featuring in their first match, he could return to Manchester sooner than expected.

If Cameroon win their final group match against Gambia on Tuesday, they progress to the knock-out stages, potentially keeping Onana away until February.

This scenario leaves Bayindir in limbo. He was already in line to start against Tottenham before Onana’s late inclusion in the Cameroon squad for their opening AFCON draw. Missing out on both matches could be a bitter pill to swallow for the eager goalkeeper.

The next few days will be crucial. Even if Cameroon crash out of AFCON, Brown believes Heaton could still get the Newport nod, pushing Bayindir’s debut further down the line.

Bayindir will be hoping the FA Cup clash against Newport becomes the stage for the long-awaited debut. But with both Heaton and Onana potentially in the mix, the road to the starting eleven remains a winding one for the Turkish goalkeeper.