The goalkeeping situation at Manchester United is set to dominate the agenda as the deadline day inches closer, with Senne Lammens and Emi Martinez in focus.
In the victory over Burnley, Altay Bayindir committed another error on a set-piece, continuing the season-long trend of Man Utd goalkeepers making mistakes in critical games.
With the interest in Senne Lammens, what appeared to be a one-horse race has abruptly become a duel, despite the obvious need for an improvement.
Emi Martinez is back at Manchester United, and since the two players are in such different phases of their careers, the decision will be divisive. Perhaps Ruben Amorim has already made it clear who he wants.
Ruben Amorim’s hint for a Man Utd goalkeeper
Since all of Amorim’s hard work in training is being undone by the players squandering opportunities and giving the opposition easy ones, it is reasonable to believe that he is portraying a very dissatisfied figure.
Although he has publicly supported Bayindir and Onana, it is evident from the way he has switched goalkeepers in the games thus far what he believes of both choices.
Royal Antwerp is negotiating hard, but Lammens was the long-term pick who may possibly have an immediate impact. Furthermore, there is a significant leap from the Belgian league to the Premier League.
Martinez, a reliable, Premier League-tested choice with the mindset to thrive in goal at Old Trafford, is back on United’s radar.
He might be on the slide, though, and the statistics don’t look good for him. Amorim’s remarks during the Burnley match were crucial reading for this difficult decision because they revealed his expectations of the goalie.
He defended Bayindir when asked about the problems with his current goalkeeping choices, claiming that “they are humans” and that switching goalkeepers is also causing mistakes.
“They are human,” he remarked. Everyone complains about the goalkeepers, but I have the power to alter them, and things do happen. Being a Manchester United goalie right now is difficult, in my opinion.
The last remark is especially intriguing since it suggests that Amorim believes mentality, not skill, is the cause of the goalkeeping issue.
If that’s the case, then the choice between Lammens and Martinez is a no-brainer.
Emi Martinez is a better option than Senne Lammens
Between the posts is the position in the current Manchester United team where the team cannot afford to have a project player.
The days of putting a young David de Gea in between the posts and letting him grow are long gone because that was a stable squad with leaders.
A player who is a plug-and-play option and instills trust in goalkeeping, similar to Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in the outfield, is what United needs right now.
Under the rigorous scrutiny at United, Lammens may become Thibaut Courtois 2.0, but he could also lose his faith with a single mistake.
Since Sir Alex, they have witnessed it happen to many children who become caught in a vicious cycle without the necessary system to break free.
Martinez possesses the poise and character to enjoy the “madman” role of a United goalkeeper, and while United’s youthful goalkeeping prospects are intriguing, he can act as a bridge by holding the top spot for a few seasons.
Being a goalie for United is difficult, as Amorim stated. It would be an unjust baptism of fire for a 23-year-old who has had one legitimately successful season, and that too in the Belgian League.
As long as the financial figures make sense, Martinez is the solution.
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