Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has now informed one of his players that he is free to leave, with a Saudi club recently opening talks.
Amorim addresses major issue on deadline day
Although it wasn’t the busiest of deadline days at Old Trafford, Amorim was able to solve one major problem by acquiring a new goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, from Royal Antwerp for £18 million.
The acquisition of Lammens comes after Altay Bayindir had a very poor start to the season, with Roy Keane criticizing the Turk for the error that allowed Arsenal to score the game-winning goal on the first day of the Premier League.
Keane said: “Be aggressive. I’ve said it many times for a goalkeeper – come with violence. Take control of it. Far too easy. It’s like schoolboy stuff. Man United – weak and soft.”
However, considering that Andre Onana has also fallen short, with the Cameroonian committing a mistake that resulted in a goal during the EFL Cup elimination against Grimsby Town, Amorim has been in a difficult situation.
The Grimsby loss may have been the last straw for Onana, according to a TEAMtalk article, as it was disclosed that Amorim had told the goalie personally that he was free to leave, allowing the 29-year-old to consider a move elsewhere.
Unexpectedly, the £120,000-per-week goalie is drawing interest. Since the Saudi Pro League’s transfer window doesn’t end until September 23rd, undisclosed clubs are starting negotiations over a possible deal.
That said, United are also open to offers from clubs in other leagues, with Amorim more than willing to sanction a departure.
Man Utd need to get Onana off the books
After making it to the 2022–23 Champions League final, the former Inter Milan goalie brought a stellar resume to Old Trafford, but the deal hasn’t gone as planned, and the goalie is still being criticized heavily.
The fact that United was able to sign Lammens on deadline day is therefore encouraging, and there are indications that the Belgian, who has outperformed the 48-time Cameroon international on a number of important criteria over the previous year, could be an improvement.
| Average per 90 | Andre Onana | Senne Lammens |
| Goals against | 1.30 | 1.11 |
| Save % | 70.2% | 79.9% |
| Save % (penalties) | 14.3% | 80% |
| Crosses stopped % | 5.4% | 13.3% |
The 23-year-old also won Royal Antwerp’s 2024-25 Player of the Season award, off the back of making some very impressive saves throughout the campaign.
Of course, it is a risk to have signed Lammens, who is unproven in a major league, but he could evidently be an upgrade on Onana, who should without doubt be sold to the Saudi Pro League.
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