Manchester United’s Carabao Cup campaign for the 2024/25 season came to an end on Thursday night. The Red Devils lost 4-3 to Tottenham Hotspur in North London, in one of the most chaotic games of the season so far.
Tottenham were 3-0 up with half an hour to go, but two goalkeeper blunders from Fraser Forster gifted two goals to United, with Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo profiting from his errors to give United hope. Spurs scored directly from a corner to make it 4-2 and managed to avoid a late scare despite Jonny Evans scoring in stoppage time.
United played well on the night but there were some poor performers. Two of their worst players were signings made by Erik ten Hag.
The Ten Hag signings who struggled vs Spurs
Former Red Devils manager Ten Hag loved to sign his players from his old club Ajax. Two of those he brought with him to the Red side of Manchester were Antony, who cost £81.3m, and Lisandro Martinez, for whom the club paid £56.7m.
It was those two who struggled against the Lilywhites in the Carabao Cup. Antony put in an incredibly frustrating performance and was subbed off after 55 minutes. Playing as a number 10, he failed to create any chances, which was noted by the Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst
He gave Antony a 4/10 for his efforts against Spurs and was incredibly critical of the United number 21. He explained that he ‘did not make United play’ even though he was one of the key attacking players in the team.
Martinez was also poor, and at fault for arguably two goals. His clearance for Dejan Kulusevski’s strike to make it 2-0 essentially put it on a plate for the Swede.
Then, for Dominic Solanke’s second of the night and Spurs’ third, he played the striker onside and then failed to put in a challenge, as the England international burst past him and fired home.
Just as he did for Antony, Luckhurst gave the Argentine World Cup winner a 4/10 for his performance. He was critical of Martinez’s ‘weak clearance’ for the opener, before explaining he was ‘even worse’ for Solanke’s finish.
Those two Ten Hag signings certainly let United down at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but there was arguably one who was even worse, goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.
The Man Utd star who needs to be sold
It was a tough night for Turkey international Bayindir, who has barely played this season or last, acting as second choice to Andre Onana. In total, the 26-year-old has played just four times, conceding eight goals in that time.
Against Spurs, he was poor. The Red Devils’ number one received a 3/10 rating from Luckhurst for his performance, who left him a scathing review. He described his efforts for the first goal as ‘shoddy goalkeeping’, and explained he was ‘pathetic’ for Son’s strike.
Indeed, the former Fenerbahce man had some dismal stats from the game according to Sofascore. His kicking was inaccurate, and he completed just 61% of his passes, which included two from 12 long balls. The goalkeeper also made one error that led to a goal.
|
Bayindir stats vs. Spurs |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Number |
|
Pass accuracy |
61% |
|
Touches |
38 |
|
Passes completed |
17/28 |
|
Long balls completed |
2/12 |
|
Saves |
2 |
|
High claims |
1 |
|
Errors leading to goal |
1 |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
|
Interestingly, however, his value has risen by 100% since he joined. He cost the Red Devils £4.3m two summers ago, and is now valued at €10m (£8.6m), according to Transfermarkt.
Given that spike in value, perhaps Ruben Amorim will choose to cash in on Bayindir as he looks to freshen the squad up.
It might well be time to cash in on this calamitous Ten Hag signing. Bayindir – who reportedly wants to leave in January – has not exactly covered himself in glory for United, although his opportunities have been limited during his time at the club.
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2024-12-20 20:15:14
