Amorim rules pair out of FA Cup tie

Friday 07 February 2025 09:45

Ruben Amorim does not expect to have goalkeepers Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton available for tonight's Emirates FA Cup tie against Leicester City.

Our head coach, speaking to club media in advance of the 20:00 GMT kick-off at Old Trafford, revealed that the pair are unlikely to face Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes.

Bayindir was, of course, the hero in the third round, with his Man of the Match performance against Arsenal including two pivotal penalty saves, from Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.

Tom Heaton should be available again soon.

The Turkey international would have been hoping to make his seventh outing this term, after keeping a clean sheet in the recent 2-0 win at FCSB that clinched a place in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Heaton, in his second spell at the club, could have been an option if Andre Onana was set to be rested, and add to his three appearances for his boyhood side.

However, Ruben told MUTV: "Altay, I think, he has a problem. So he is not available for the game. Tom is also not for this game but he can play the other ones [in the future]. So the rest are ready. The important thing is we are ready to face the game."

Highly regarded Elyh Harrison, back from a successful spell at Chester, was on the bench for the Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace. However, he is cup-tied having played for his loan club in the qualifying rounds.

Hubert Graczyk, formerly with Arsenal, and Dermot Mee have also worked with the senior set-up this season.

The Under-21s are also in action tonight, facing Tottenham at Leigh Sports Village, which could influence any thinking around the options.

If you want to be the first to see which players have arrived at Old Trafford ahead of the game, tune into our live player arrivals show, in partnership with Snapdragon. That starts at 16:00 GMT. We'll also, of course, have the all-important team announcement when it drops.

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