Manchester United succumbed to their third straight loss in a row on Thursday as relegation battling Wolverhampton Wanderers emerged 2-0 victors at the Molineux.
Set-pieces continue to be the Red Devils’ Achilles heel and Wolves scored directly from a corner through Matheus Cunha, who lobbed Andre Onana in goal, who was being obstructed by a couple of Wolves players.
But this has become a norm in the English game with backup keeper Altay Bayindir similarly caught out against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Interestingly, the United No 1 was at fault for the set-piece goals against Arsenal as well and after a bright start this season, the Cameroonian’s form has slipped badly recently.
Onana has been poor recently
He has committed high-profile errors both in the league and in Europe and Ruben Amorim is far from pleased with The Daily Star claiming that the Portuguese is on the lookout for a replacement.
He has eyes on Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen, who was a target for the Old Trafford side when he was a part of Anderlecht but the 22-year-old chose to move to the South Coast in 2023 instead.
The Seagulls had spent £16.3 million on him last year and will not let him go for less than £30 million with a deal unlikely to be entertained before the conclusion of the current campaign.
“Manchester United have begun the search for a new keeper – and Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen is on their radar. Current Reds number one Andre Onana is increasingly unsettled after a number of poor displays, including in the 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Wolves.
“The United hierarchy are fully aware of the issue surrounding £47.5million Onana – hence the hunt for a top keeper is already underway.
“And at present Dutch international Verbruggen, 22, seems to be the favourite on the Old Trafford stopper shopping-list. With more than three years left on his contract on the South Coast, the Seagulls man, a £16.3m buy from Anderlecht in June 2023, would cost around the £30m mark.”
The Dutch goalie has kept four clean sheets this season while last term he had seven shutouts. He is adept with the ball at his feet and as per Fbref, surpasses Onana’s long passing, completing 50.5% long passes as compared to Onana’s 40.2%.
Verbruggen a top target
The Brighton shot-stopper is even better when it comes to short-passing with their shot-saving stats almost identical.
The Peoples Person has already relayed that Amorim wants increased competition in between the sticks with United eyeing a number of young goalkeepers across Europe and even South America.
Bayindir has been linked with an exit with the Turk not happy with his lack of minutes and based on his showing against Spurs, he is not likely to last beyond the current season.
Whether Verbruggen is brought in as a No 1 or as a direct competitor for Onana remains to be seen. It will also be interesting to see whether INEOS can afford a new goalie especially with the entire squad in urgent need of a revamp.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
