Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will start ahead of Senne Lammens against Man City in the Manchester Derby on Sunday.
The Red Devils face the Citizens at the Etihad Stadium over the weekend with Man Utd ahead of their arch-rivals in the Premier League table after three matches.
The goalkeeping situation at Old Trafford has dominated much of the early-season chatter with Bayindir replacing Andre Onana in net for their opening Premier League fixtures.
After bringing in Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day, Onana was allowed to join Trabzonspor on loan until the end of the season.
Reports have claimed that Amorim saw Onana’s exit from Old Trafford as key to his rebuild of the club and it was felt that the Cameroon international ‘was showing a lack of involvement and interest in working for the team in the final days before the international break.’
It’s not yet clear whether Lammens has been brought in as number one or to challenge Bayindir but Amorim confirmed on Friday that the latter is starting against Man City on Sunday.
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Amorim told a press conference: “Altay is going to continue. It is a different league, a different country, different training, different ball. So we will try to maintain that and they will fight for the position but for me in this game is clear, Altay will start.”
On Lammens, the Man Utd boss added: “He is a goalkeeper with a lot of potential. I know that we are in a moment where the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience. We are also in the moment where we have to look at the present but also with a focus on the future – so it is a little bit of both. He’s a guy with a great potential that is one more option [for us] to play, and he will be ready.”
When asked why Man Utd signed Lammens over Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Amorim continued: “We have an option that can give us different things in the moment but also has a great potential to be our goalkeeper for a lot of years so that was out choice in the end.”
On why Onana had to leave Old Trafford, Amorim said: “I think we understood that this needed a change and sometimes it is hard to point out why. Sometimes it is the moment, the bad luck in some moments.
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“It is hard on him, on us. Our thinking is to have a change in the goalkeepers but I wish the best for Andre Onana.
“He was really good at working and trying to help the players, but sometimes you can have all the quality in the world but you need a change.”
Injured trio Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot, who cost Man Utd £136.5m in total, will be missing against Man City at the Etihad.
Amorim said of the trio: “They are out for this game. I don’t know how long it is going to take. We need our guys to be a very competitive team but we have very good players who are eager to play, so we will be competitive on Sunday but they are out. They cannot help us in this game.”
When asked how long they will be out for, Amorim replied: “I don’t want to say. If you talk to Cunha he will say he is able to play this game. So I don’t know. We will manage day-by-day. They are pushing really hard and that is a good thing.”