sportskeeda
According to Samuel Luckhurst, one of Manchester United’s key challenges last season was the fact that nearly every other Premier League team had a more effective striker.
Currently, the focus has shifted to goalkeepers, with many teams featuring more skilled players in that role.
Aside from Southampton, who are struggling this season, the other 18 clubs in the Premier League had more accomplished strikers than Rasmus Hojlund. Despite Jamie Vardy’s decline, he still managed to score over twice as many league goals as Hojlund, who only found the net four times.
Though Benjamin Sesko has had a less-than-stellar start to his United career—worse than Hojlund’s first six matches—the more pressing concern lies in goalkeeping.
Ruben Amorim even noted recently that Altay Bayindir isn’t definitively United’s first choice. With his neat side-parting and Louis Vuitton bag, Bayindir exudes confidence upon arrival, yet his performances on the pitch have failed to instill trust, particularly highlighted by a late parry against Chelsea that had United fans on edge while they clung to a three-point lead.
Senne Lammens, who joined from Royal Antwerp for £18.2 million on deadline day, is already 23 years old but has yet to earn a cap for Belgium, not making the squad of four goalkeepers selected earlier this month. Historically, Antwerp has been a feeder club for United, even though they have never signed a player from there.
Nevertheless, United observed that Lammens had one of the highest goals-prevented metrics in Europe last season, made more saves than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top ten leagues, and executed the most progressive passes for a goalkeeper under the age of 23.
Antwerp’s stadium hosts 16,144 fans, and Belgium’s once-promising ‘golden generation’ peaked with a semi-final run in the 2018 World Cup. Nothing can truly prepare Lammens for the scrutiny he will face while wearing the United colors.
Joining United marks a downturn for Andre Onana, who had to move to Trabzonspor at just 29 years of age. David de Gea took the risk at 20, having already played for a major club in a significant league, and faced a tumultuous first year. Fabien Barthez, a World Cup winner, also departed for France after three inconsistent seasons.
It remains uncertain whether Lammens is the right fit for United, but it’s clear that Bayindir isn’t. He has conceded 28 goals in 16 matches, with United managing only eight wins, five of which occurred in the League Cup and Europa League.
Bayindir’s position as United’s starter has not earned him favor with Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella, leaving him as a backup for the national team.
While Manchester City has two goalkeepers competing for the number one spot, United has three number twos. Goalkeeper is one position where fierce competition isn’t crucial. It’s likely United will go through this entire season without establishing a reliable first choice that fans can trust.
A former United goalkeeper now at a promoted side would likely offer more reliability and experience than the two matchday goalkeepers currently on their roster. Martin Dubravka, who played just twice for United, had his loan cut short but proved to be a savvy signing for Burnley.
Karl Darlow secured the net for Leeds in their recent win over Wolves and was considered for a loan by United before they ultimately chose Dubravka in the summer of 2022. Robin Roefs was not impressive in a recent outing but has been acknowledged at the Under-21 level for Holland.
From top to bottom, one could argue that every team possesses a more competent goalkeeper than United’s: Jose Sa, Alphonse Areola, Emiliano Martinez, Caoimhin Kelleher, Dubravka, Matz Sels, Bart Verbruggen, Nick Pope, Jordan Pickford, Donnarumma, Bernd Leno, Roefs, Robert Sanchez, Dean Henderson, Djordje Petrovic, Guglielmo Vicario, David Raya, and Alisson.
While not all would be ideal long-term solutions for United, and Sanchez even handed a victory to United last Saturday, evidence is scarce to prove that Bayindir is more stable than any of them.
For a club boasting a prestigious academy, it’s regrettable that United never afforded Henderson a genuine opportunity. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is accountable for reversing his promise to promote Henderson to the number one role in 2021.
Ultimately, United settled for a mere £15 million from Crystal Palace for Henderson, who was named man of the match in their unforgettable FA Cup final win in May and played a crucial role in their subsequent triumph over Liverpool in the Community Shield.
Henderson has confided to friends that he would never return to United. However, if they made a compelling offer—including a salary increase and a chance to compete with Pickford for the England position—it’s plausible that he might reconsider.
Yet, it must be emphasized that Palace continues to outperform United at both ends of the pitch.
