Man United star poses with controversial owner who says he would have sacked Erik ten Hag by now

Manchester United's back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir posed for a photo with Hull City owner and Fenerbahce vice president Acun Ilicali following Thursday night's clash in the Europa League.

Bayindir received a warm welcome back to the Turkish club this week on his first return since joining United in September last year. Prior to kick off, the goalkeeper was handed flowers by an executive at Fenerbahce and received a hearty round of applause from the home fans as he began his pre-match warm-up.

The 26-year-old has made just a handful of appearances for the Reds since that switch with Erik ten Hag preferring to stick with Andre Onana as his first choice. Despite not playing against Fenerbahce, Bayindir was still able to catch-up with old friends including Ilicali.

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The 55-year-old Turkish businessman acquired Hull City in 2022 for a reported £20m. Since then, he has overseen three managerial changes at the Championship club and recently told talkSPORT that he would have sacked Ten Hag by now if it was up to him.

"He's a good coach, but sometimes the chemistry doesn't happen in football," Ilicali explained when asked about Ten Hag. "Bayern Munich had the same thing too.

"For me, I always look at one or two steps forward in my mind, imagine, then I decide about today and I always decide early. I don't want to lose time.

"So, I think, unfortunately, this match is not a good match, the coach and the club. From my point of view, there should have been a separation before.

"I wasn’t expecting too much from Manchester United because although Manchester United is a big team, and a fantastic brand, unfortunately with the way they play they have been disappointing last year. They didn’t make a big impact [against Fenerbahce].

"Actually, I don't feel like the Dutch mentality is very suitable for Britain. If you ask me my opinion, the reason German coaches are more successful is they are more down to earth, they are more flexible, so they started getting success all around the world.

"I'm not talking individual, I’m talking in general, but Dutch coaches are a little more cold, they are all more distant with the team. And that’s what I see in Manchester, generally - everything is too mechanical, I mean, there is not a human feeling, I feel."

Bayindir is unlikely to have known that Ilicali held these views when he posed for a photo with him after the match against Fenerbahce. Ten Hag is no stranger to the idea that people think he should be sacked with speculation rife following the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season.

For now, it seems he has the backing of the boardroom ahead of Sunday's clash at West Ham.