Manchester United renews contract with 39-year-old Heaton, not to keep people, but to clean up

When Manchester United announced the negotiations for renewal with 39-year-old Tom Heaton, many people thought it was sentiment. In fact, this was the first step in the goalkeeper's line adjustment. The one who really wanted to leave may be Baindill.

On the surface, it is a veteran renewal, but in fact it is a transfer, Manchester United announced the list of teams for the new season this week. The most eye-catching thing is not a new star who stays in the team, but Heaton - this old goalkeeper who has hardly made official appearances since his return in 2021 has become the target of the renewal negotiation.

This sounds a bit abnormal, but let's not forget: Although Heaton rarely plays, he has always been the "spiritual backbone" of the team in the locker room.

The problem is: Manchester United goalkeeper already has Onana and Baindir. Is it to keep Heaton, who is about to be over 40, to make up the number of players?

obviously not. This is more likely to be a subtraction in advance - the veteran stays, and the young two-door walks, making room for signings.

Baindir's unstable performance is the most likely target to be cleaned

If you pay attention to Manchester United for a long time, you will find an interesting twist: Baindir was originally set as Onana's "pressure maker", but from his performance, he did not complete this role.

Except for the FA Cup winning goal against Arsenal, they performed mediocrely in the rest of the game, especially after being scored 4 goals by Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup, criticism continued.

In Ruben Amorin's idea, the goalkeeper is not a safe player who only knows how to stand, but a multi-functional player with "pressure response + foot skills + goal-keeping stability".

Bindir's current situation is getting further and further away from this model.

Manchester United goalkeeper's pattern is about to change, and new players are on the way?

Manchester United actually had a plan to "buy another goalkeeper" as early as January, and many British media also confirmed that Amorin clearly stated that he hoped to introduce a candidate who could truly challenge Onana's starting position.

This shows that Onana's position is not stable either. Heaton's existence is more like a tool person with "tactical significance" - helping you stabilize the locker room, guide young people, and even play in the domestic Cup, but will not compete with the main players.

So, only Baindir is freeing up his salary and position.

More realistic is that the 2026 World Cup is right in front of you. If Baindir is still sitting on the bench, he will definitely not be able to become Türkiye's main goalkeeper. He himself also has a strong desire to transfer.

is not renewal, it is a replacement; it is not sentiment, it is a cleaning

So Manchester United's operation is essentially not "leave an old goalkeeper", but rather completing the resource sorting of "new and old" step in advance: the veteran is responsible for stabilizing the locker room, and the newcomer is responsible for real competition. If the performance is unstable, it should be cleared.

Don't be confused by appearances. The first position of Amorin's move after taking office was the goalkeeper line. Heaton was left behind in order to prepare for the next step: cleaning Baindir, introducing new players, and activate Onana.

Do you support Manchester United to keep Baindill, or do you directly change to a new goalkeeper to challenge Onana in the future?

Sometimes, keeping a veteran who "can't play the game" is just for a bigger blow.