Amorim backs Bayindir for Manchester derby, tips Lammens as United’s long-term No.1

Altay Bayindir will keep his place in goal for Manchester United in Sunday’s derby clash with neighbours Manchester City, but head coach Ruben Amorim has hinted that new signing Senne Lammens could be the club’s future first-choice goalkeeper.

United moved on deadline day to secure Lammens from Belgian champions Royal Antwerp in an £18.1m deal, preferring the 23-year-old to Argentina’s World Cup-winning keeper Emi Martinez, who had been willing to leave Aston Villa.

The move came after Andre Onana departed on loan to Turkish side Trabzonspor, leaving question marks over Amorim’s pecking order between the posts.

Bayindir, 27, has started all three of United’s league games this season, though errors against Arsenal and Burnley drew criticism, even so, Amorim has opted to stick with the Turkish international at the Etihad Stadium.

“Altay is going to continue,” Amorim confirmed.

“It’s a different league, a different country, a different ball. He has the experience we need right now.”

Bayindir, who made his Premier League debut only in April, has 10 caps for Turkey and far more senior experience than Lammens, who only enjoyed his first full season as a top-flight regular last year.

Still, Amorim made clear that the young Belgian is viewed as a long-term solution:

“He has great potential to be our goalkeeper for a number of years. Sometimes as a club you have to look not just at the present but also at the future.”

Onana’s exit leaves uncertainty

Onana’s short-lived United career effectively ended in the shock EFL Cup defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby last month.

The 28-year-old made two costly mistakes in a 2-2 draw before United were knocked out on penalties.

That performance, combined with a disrupted pre-season due to injury, led Amorim to sanction his loan move, and despite having a contract until 2028, Onana is not expected to return.

“The quality is there but at this club the pressure is so hard in every detail,” Amorim said.

“Sometimes you need a change of environment to return to your level. That was the feeling not just from us, but also from Andre.”

Onana joined United from Inter Milan in 2023 after helping the Italian club reach the Champions League final, but never looked comfortable in England.

Injuries mount ahead of City showdown

Amorim also confirmed that English Midfielder Mason Mount, Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha and Portuguese right back Diogo Dalot will all miss the Etihad derby through injury.

Cunha suffered a hamstring issue in the first half of the 3-2 win over Burnley on 30 August, while Mount failed to reappear for the second half, Dalot meanwhile withdrew from Portugal’s World Cup qualifiers after muscular discomfort.

Amorim declined to give specific recovery timelines:

“I don’t want to say. If you talk with Cunha now, he will say he can play this game. We will manage day by day, but they are all out for this one.”

Protecting a proud United tradition

One additional concern for Amorim is United’s proud record of naming at least one academy graduate in every first-team matchday squad since 1937 – a streak stretching nearly 90 years.

Against Burnley, Kobbie Mainoo was the only homegrown player included; the 19-year-old midfielder had even requested a loan exit late in the transfer window, though United refused.

With Mainoo’s situation uncertain, Amorim acknowledged the risk of breaking the streak but pledged to protect it if possible.

“We want to maintain it. The past of Manchester United is built on kids,” Amorim said.

“I don’t want to be the guy that breaks that.”

Other players, such as veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton and teenage defender Tyler Fredericson, could help preserve the tradition if needed.