Ruben Amorim is set to give Dermot Mee his first-ever taste of competitive action tonight, as Andre Onana looks likely to miss the trip to the King Power stadium against Leicester City with illness.
The Northern Irish goalkeeper has never played a minute of senior action for the Old Trafford club, despite being 22 years old, but TalkOfTheDevils understands he is in live to make his debut tonight in the Premier League match.
Birmingham-born Mee stands at 6ft and joined United back in 2019, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was manager. In early 2021, he joined Fulham on a short-term loan. Since then, he has signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford, but has rarely been in the first team picture, with Andre Onana almost ever-present, Altay Bayindir an able deputy and Tom Heaton an experienced back-up. However, Bayindir and Heaton have both been missing with injury lately, meaning Mee has had some time on the bench.
Mee signed his new contract last summer and went on the club’s pre-season tour, but didn’t feature.
We understand that Onana has travelled, and will still face a late fitness test in Leicester to give him every chance to start, but as of the time of travel, Mee was lined up to be given his debut.
Should he start, then Mee will follow a number of United youth academy product goalkeepers to play a Premier League match – though more often than not, United have played a senior, bought goalkeeper. Gary Walsh and Kevin Pilkington made appearances in the club’s first few seasons, Nick Culkin holds the club’s record for shortest-ever appearance and indeed club career at a number of seconds when he featured at Arsenal in 1999, while more recently, Dean Henderson looked as though he could stake a serious claim to be the club’s permanent number one before he was transferred to Crystal Palace.
Sunday’s match against Leicester City takes place at 7pm and is live in the UK on TNT Sports.