The goalkeeping position at Manchester United has caused Ruben Amorim many a sleepless night, with both keepers far from impressing consistently.
Andre Onana has produced howlers in both the Premier League and Europa League, which forced the head coach to hand reserve keeper Altay Bayindir increased minutes.
The Cameroonian’s poor form has led to plenty of chatter surrounding his future, with talks of an exit to Saudi Arabia seemingly on the cards. But he has no intention of leaving Old Trafford just yet.
As for the Turkish shot-stopper, he did produce a blinder in the FA Cup against Arsenal but has disappointed in the Carabao Cup as well as in the English top-flight.
Bayindir to leave
The former Fenerbahce star, who has started the last two league games, is desperate for more minutes as a No 1 as he seeks to start in between the sticks for his country in the 2026 World Cup.
There is also uncertainty surrounding third-choice keeper Tom Heaton’s future. His current deal expires in the summer and initially it seemed like he would reject the club’s offer of joining the coaching staff in search of more minutes as he has no intention of hanging up his gloves just yet.
There were reports that the 39-year-old would be offered a new deal but BBC have now informed that might not be the case.
Ideally, the Portuguese tactician would prefer to revamp his options between the sticks. Whether INEOS will have the required to funds to bring in as many as three goalkeepers remains to be seen.
Royal Antwerp keeper Senne Lammens has been linked with a move to Old Trafford with the British outlet claiming his name has been discussed internally with greater frequency recently.
“I really think they hope not to be bringing in another experienced goalkeeper. Tom Heaton will leave when his contract expires in the summer and it is virtually certain Altay Bayindir will go as well.
“United do have some good young goalkeepers in Elyh Harrison and Hubert Graczyk but Antwerp’s Senne Lammens is a name I hear quite often, so I wouldn’t be surprised if United go for him,” said journalist Simon Stone.
Lammens as replacement
“However, at 22, with no experience of European competitions and no senior caps, it feels too much of a leap to bring him in as a first choice. However, Lammens has a lot of promise, so if he came in, Amorim could gauge for himself whether the Belgian was good enough.”
The Belgian is only 22, and does not have a lot of experience, so it is unlikely he can come in and become the No 1 instantly. But he has potential and might not be the worst shout for a backup option.
He has 10 clean sheets in all competitions and has earned praise for his close-range saves. His form has attracted the interest of Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain as well.
Antwerp are hoping to earn €20-€25 million from his sale. Whether INEOS can afford such an outlay remains to be seen. Whether they can convince either of their backup keepers to stay or not will also be interesting to see.
Feature image George Wood 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
