Manchester United claimed their first three points of the season against Burnley at Old Trafford but the win did not come without more goalkeeping worries for Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim defended his goalkeepers(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has arrived at the defence of his goalkeepers following their error-strewn start to the season. The Portuguese coach has suggested any critique must be aimed at the whole team with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir facing a 'difficult job' defending their goal this term.
The Red Devils claimed their first win of the season against Burnley at Old Trafford, but Bayindir could not escape the 3-2 victory without more questions being raised. The 27-year-old was at fault for Jaidon Anthony's goal in the 66th minute which drew the scores level at 2-2.
Bayindir failed to push a save wide which allowed Anthony to take advantage for an equaliser. The mistake follows weak goalkeeping against Arsenal which allowed Riccardo Calafiori's goal and an uncertain performance against Fulham.
Onana dropped to the bench against the Clarets after committing two errors of his own in United's catastrophic defeat against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup. But Bayindir's return would not have sparked confidence.
And despite persistent links to a new goalkeeper this summer, Amorim attempted to channel criticism away from his shotstoppers. "Guys, they are humans," said the head coach following the win over Burnley.
"Manchester United, everything is in use. Everybody talks about the goalkeeper. And you can see, I can change the goalkeeper in the situations that happen.
"We are in that moment. I think it is hard to be a Manchester United goalkeeper in this moment. But if you look at the first goal, we can defend it better. We suffered a quite similar goal against Fulham, because we don't do the full rotation of the team when the ball is on the other side.
"All these small things have nothing to do with the goalkeeper. So, the players are struggling a little bit with all the things around the club. That is normal. So it's not just the goalkeepers. I think everybody has to improve."
Jaidon Anthony scores against Altay Bayindir
Jaidon Anthony of Burnley scores after Altay Bayindir failed to send the ball clear
Amorim was happy to gather three points ahead of the international break. United's boss could not help but have some frustration however.
"It is three points, if you look at the game we should solve it in the first half and control the game - but we are fighting to the last minute because of things we overcomplicate," he said.
"Look at the first half, we have so many chances to score. You feel you can control the game. But one throw in, one set piece. I shook my head, because sometimes football is like this. We now have two weeks with a lot of opportunities. This was a game we had to win, but we have a lot to do."
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