'No worries, no panic' – Andre Onana & Altay Bayindir slammed for Man Utd errors as Senne Lammens offers 'what Ruben Amorim wants'

Andre Onana & Altay Bayindir were slammed for Manchester United errors as former Newcastle star Shay Given lavished Senne Lammens for steadying the ship. When Onana was signed from Inter Milan, he was hailed as the modern-day saviour after David de Gea. He was comfortable with the ball at his feet, and United hoped to bring back authority while playing out from the back. Instead, his United spell became a nightmare reel of errors and misjudgments, with each mistake hammering another nail into the Red Devils’ fragile confidence.

From one calamity to another: Bayindir’s false dawn

By the time Onana was shipped off on loan to Trabzonspor, he had run out of excuses. His fall from grace was swift and was largely emblematic of United’s broader crisis. After Onana’s departure, manager Ruben Amorim turned to Altay Bayindir. The Turkish international had been quietly waiting in the wings, but his audition for the No.1 spot quickly descended into chaos. The United hierarchy had no choice but to invest in a new goalkeeper, and Lammens, the 23-year-old Belgian, was snapped up from Royal Antwerp for £18 million on deadline day. Few outside Belgium had heard of him, but inside Old Trafford, that gamble may already be paying off. Three wins and a draw in their last four matches have led to a surge up the table, and suddenly, they find themselves just two points behind second-placed Manchester City.

AdvertisementGOALShay gives his verdict on United keepers

Former Newcastle and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Given didn’t hold back in his analysis of United’s keeper carousel, and his praise for the Belgian newcomer was glowing. 

In an interview with , he said: "Both Bayindir and Onana were struggling at times, there’s no getting away from it. There’s no hiding the fact that they just weren’t playing well enough and couldn’t stake a real claim to the position.  don’t know if it was just psychological or a talent problem, but the position really needed to be sorted out. I think what Lammens has brought is a real calmness.

"Any team, if you have a goalkeeper with a presence and a calmness, it just helps reduce the madness that goes on in front of him. His debut, what really stood out for me wasn’t the good saves, but that when a high ball came in, he claimed it.

"The whole ground stood up, and it was like, finally, we have a goalkeeper who does what a goalkeeper is meant to do. The ball is there to be won, and he won it. He came, he caught it, and the fans and players had just been crying out for that for years."

For Given, consistency is everything: "When you have a goalkeeper, you don’t want someone giving a nine out of ten one week, then three the next. You just need a solid seven out of ten each week, no worries, no panic. I think that’s what Lammens brings United. That’s what Ruben Amorim wants."

Given also addressed speculations that Onana had asked for a pay rise earlier this season, even amid his struggles.

"I’d be surprised, as I thought he was making too many mistakes, and he wasn’t consistent enough," he said. "In terms of negotiations, I wouldn’t have thought that was the best time to ask for a new contract! So if he really did ask for a raise, I’d be surprised."

Lammens remains firmly grounded

In contrast to the chaos before him, Lammens comes across as refreshingly humble as he is more concerned with the basics than unnecessary bravado.

"When things go badly, you're immediately put down," he said. "And when things go well, they praise you to the skies. I'm not really concerned with what 'people' say about me. But I did realise how important my debut against Sunderland would be. I had to make a good first impression. And I succeeded. Not that I made any spectacular saves, but I did radiate calm. I'm proud of that."

Getty Images SportA crucial November awaits United

United are staring down a crucial run of fixtures with Tottenham Hotspur up next on Saturday, away from home, before the international break. After a brief gap of two weeks, they will play Everton and Crystal Palace on November 24 and 30, respectively, to close the month. Amorim knows momentum is everything. United have stumbled too often this season, being the victims of their own instability. But with Lammens between the sticks, there’s a sense that, for the first time in a long while, the team can build from the back without fear.