Despite significant funding from INEOS, Manchester United have continued to struggle in the new season.
They have won only three games all season, while losing four, and have exited the Carabao Cup at the second round stage.
Goalkeeping howlers have played a huge role in these defeats, with Andre Onana single-handedly costing the Red Devils against Grimsby Town in the cup.
He was loaned to Trabzonspor as a result, but Ruben Amorim insisted on playing Altay Bayindir in six Premier League games, and the Turkiye international has been just as disappointing.
Lammens’ arrival and belated debut
The 20-time English league champions opted to bring in Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day, despite being linked with a move for Emiliano Martinez and Gianluigi Donnarumma all summer.
The World Cup winner ended up staying in Aston Villa, thanks to Jadon Sancho’s last-minute tantrums, while the Champions League winner’s wage demands meant he ended up moving to cross-town rivals Manchester City instead.
Lammens finally got his belated debut against Sunderland at the weekend, and impressed, but he remains a work in progress due to his relative inexperience at the very top level.
Which explains why the Old Trafford giants are looking at signing an experienced keeper next year, with Mike Maignan among the names being eyed.
Club legend Peter Schmeichel did praise the Belgian, but insisted that Amorim would have been disappointed with his signing considering he wanted someone with more experience in goal.
INEOS should have gone for someone experienced
Talking to BBC Sport’s Monday Night Club, the big Dane explained, “I think he was very disappointed that it wasn’t [Gianluigi] Donnarumma or Emi Martinez who was arriving on that [deadline] day.
“And it was this young lad that I’m quite sure he (Amorim) probably didn’t know too much about.
“The rumour is that he signed purely on the data – that he’s had the best statistics over the last season in the best top 10 leagues or something like that, which, at the end of the day, tells you nothing when it comes to Manchester United goalkeeping.”
Hopefully, Senne Lammens can do his talking on the pitch. But it is clear that Bayindir is not good enough and a new experienced backup makes a lot of sense.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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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
