Manchester United eased past high-flying Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the pressure easing on Ruben Amorim as a result.
His decision to start Mason Mount worked a treat, while Senne Lammens looked impervious on his debut, pulling off two smart stops while his commanding presence inside the box impressed one and all.
The Old Trafford faithful roared in approval, in sharp contrast to the nervousness that pervades the stadium whenever Altay Bayindir has started in goal.
Andre Onana has already left on loan, and his future definitely lies away from Manchester, and it is pretty clear that the Turk is also not good enough.
Amorim wants experienced keeper
Which is why the head coach wants to add an experienced face to his goalkeeping department come next year, with Emiliano Martinez one of the options.
The World Cup winner was close to a switch in the summer, only for Jadon Sancho to play spoilsport on deadline day.
Another name on INEOS’ radar is Mike Maignan of AC Milan, with the Frenchman’s current contract set to expire next summer.
The Serie A side remain in talks over a possible contract extension, while recent reports had suggested that United’s Premier League rivals Chelsea are in pole position for the 30-year-old.
Chelsea vs United for Maignan
But SportsBoom have an alternate take on the situation, with the report claiming that the Red Devils remain confident of winning the race for the Milan skipper.
“Manchester United believe they can beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signature of AC Milan star shot-stopper Mike Maignan, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
“United’s goalkeeping issues have been well-documented and a huge question mark remains over whether Turkish keeper Altay Bayindir is good enough to be the club’s number one.
“The 27-year-old has already made a string of high-profile mistakes during his short Old Trafford stay so far, while former first-choice keeper Andre Onana was farmed out on loan to Turkish club Trabzonspor for the remainder of the season.
Why he would be the perfect fit
“And our sources have learnt that’s why United, despite the high-profile capture of Belgium goalie Senne Lammens, are still eyeing up buying a keeper with plenty of experience.”
Bringing in the France international makes a lot of sense, and it would help alleviate the pressure off of Lammens’ young shoulders.
In seven games this season, Mike Maignan has kept five clean sheets and his shot-stopping capabilities coupled with his excellent distribution would fit in nicely with Amorim’s demands.
And getting the Serie A “MVP” on a free would be the icing on the cake. Now for INEOS to take decisive action.
Feature image Maurizio Lagana via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
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
