Ruben Amorim has today confirmed that Altay Bayindir will start the Manchester derby on Sunday, despite signing Senne Lammens on deadline day last week.
Indeed, Bayindir will retain his place in Manchester United’s XI at the Etihad, having also started over Andre Onana for the first three Premier League fixtures of the season.
Now that Onana has completed his loan move to Trabzonspor and Lammens has spent the international break training at Carrington, fans were pondering whether the young Belgian would be thrown in the deep end with a debut against Manchester City.
Lammens debut delayed with Bayindir preferred vs City
Alas, he’ll have to wait until perhaps the following outing, which sees United host Chelsea at Old Trafford on September 20.
Amorim says Altay Bayindir will play in goal for Utd in the Mcr derby despite signing Senne Lammens #mufc
— Chris Wheeler (@ChrisWheelerDM) September 12, 2025
While Lammens’ exclusion from the Belgium squad did allow him to stay in Manchester and get to grips with his surroundings over the last week-and-a-half, he hasn’t had the chance to practice properly with his teammates until they returned from their respective international commitments, so you can understand Amorim’s thinking.
It’s still expected that Lammens will become Amorim’s first choice between the sticks over time, as Bayindir’s showings thus far haven’t filled the boss with hope that he can be depended on throughout the course of the campaign.
Amorim speaks out on Onana exit
As for Onana’s departure, Amorim touched on the matter in his press conference this afternoon, detailing the ‘keeper’s desire for a ‘change’ following a turbulent two years in M16.
“We understood he needed a change. Sometimes the bad luck was hard on him and us. Our thinking is to have a change in keeper, but I wish the best for Andre.
“You can have all the quality in the world but sometimes you need a change of environment to return to your level,” said Amorim.
There is no buy option or obligation included in his agreement with the Turkish outfit, meaning Onana will still be a United player come next summer.
