RUBEN Amorim made a goalkeeping gamble on Sunday and in the eyes of most, it backfired spectacularly.
The Manchester United boss selected Altay Bayindir instead of the fit-again Andre Onana and it was the Turkey keeper’s early ‘controversial’ error that proved the difference in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Onana’s future at the club has been the subject of much debate this summer and, despite Amorim’s fierce defence of his keepers, the number-one position at United is again the talking point.
A United official privately offered a basic truth about the club’s rebuild much earlier in the summer though.
“If we buy forwards, people will ask why we didn’t get midfielders, if we get midfielders, they will ask why we didn’t get a goalkeeper. We can’t do everything in one go,” the official said.
As it turns out, United focused their £200m summer spend on forwards as they felt that area of the pitch was the one that required the most substantial improvement.
And their attack looked far more of a threat on Sunday than it did for much of last season with Matheus Cunha’s battling style endearing him to the crowd and Bryan Mbeumo exhibiting all the attributes that helped him score 20 league goals for Brentford in 2024-25.
While United could not find an equaliser, despite their attacking toil, Bayindir’s error meant it was almost inevitable the focus after this opening day defeat would be the goalkeeper.
Bayindir failed to get a strong hand to Declan Rice’s 13th-minute corner, only managing to palm the ball back towards to the goalline where Riccardo Calafiori nodded home.
Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Manchester United have a problem.
“There [are] rumours of [a move for] the Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez. Now [PSG’s] Gianluigi Donnarumma has become available. If I’m United I am going to get a top-quality goalkeeper.
“Andre Onana has made some big mistakes last season. Goalkeepers are the last line of defence and they can’t afford to make mistakes like that.”
Understandably, head coach Amorim was robust in his defence of Bayindir.
“In that moment, you either choose to push a player or to get the ball,” said Amorim. “[Bayindir] chooses to get the ball, but he’s getting pushed.
“He cannot defend it himself. That is my feeling when I see the play.”
For a more detached expert view, it is worth noting the words of Joe Hart – who disagreed with Amorim’s assessment.
Only Peter Shilton and Jordan Pickford have more than Hart’s 75 England caps in goal.
“That’s not a foul [on Bayindir],” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “Bayindir has got to scrap with his left arm to deal with [William] Saliba and jab the ball away with his right.
“I got ready to defend Altay Bayindir, then I saw the first replay and thought ‘I can’t defend him here’. He has got far too involved and got lost in the battle and made a bit of a mess.
“It’s not down to being weak, it is about putting yourself in the best possible position to use what you have got.”
Hart feels United could have offered more protection to Bayindir by putting a defensive shield in front of him. It is the type of move Sir Alex Ferguson used to help David de Gea, who struggled in his early days at the club.
Going further back, Peter Schmeichel used to sort a six-yard box scrum out by shoving opponents out of the way and then yelling at the referee.
The game has changed substantially since then. The advent of VAR should mean if Saliba was committing a foul, as Amorim claimed, the goal would have been disallowed.
“If it’s allowed, we need to do the same thing,” said Amorim.