How Long Can This Ridiculous Goalkeeping Gamble Last?

How Long Can This Ridiculous Goalkeeping Gamble Last?

A club in crisis, Manchester United inflict a lot of the damage on themselves.

The majority of the clubs suffering is self-inflicted, whether it be poor signings, unrealistic tactics and systems, or unnecessary gambles that hinder them more than they help.

The Red Devils are no strangers to suffering problems in virtually every position across the pitch - last season it was up front, as the misfiring Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee went head-to-head over who could have the most compelling disaster class every other week - and this season, issues have sprung up in goal, after the sale of Andre Onana forced the signing of unknown Belgian Semme Lammens, and pushed Altay Bayindir between the sticks as a vastly unqualified number one.

Manchester United knew they needed a goalkeeper, signed Senne Lammens & yet almost a month later he is sitting on the bench while the struggles continue.

Kobbie Mainoo offers a point of difference in midfield, but the club's best creator in Bruno Fernandes is shoehorned into a…

— Adam (@AdamJoseph____) September 27, 2025

But after a host of less inconsistent, and more outright chaotic showings between the posts, Bayindir is losing any faith he has built up at Old Trafford at record speed, and many are wondering when Lammens will be given his chance. The only issue? Despite impressing in the Belgian Pro League last season, there are concerns that the 23-year-old is not yet ready to take up the mantle as United’s first-choice keeper.

After another abysmal showing in United’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford at the weekend, Bayindir will likely be going round Manchester in a Mission Impossible-style mask this week to avoid recognition - is it time for United to end this bizarre experiment?

Bayindir’s Blunders

There have been problems from the outset - following rumors that Onana would be justifiably moving on ahead of their opening day clash with Arsenal, Bayindir got the nod ahead of the Cameroonian, and it was through him that Arsenal scored the winning goal - the Turkish keeper dropped an inswinging corner onto the head of Riccardo Calafiori in comedic fashion, and thus started United’s goalkeeping dilemma.

Altay Bayındır has saved just 57% of the shots he has faced over the last year, putting him in the bottom 1% of goalkeepers across Europe’s top five leagues.

A change HAS to happen soon… 😳 pic.twitter.com/keM4sGhZHp

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 20, 2025

This in itself was not unusual - opening day nerves or a lack of match sharpness could have contributed to this particular lapse in judgement, and against Fulham the next week, Bayindir had a solid showing, and he could do nothing about Emile Smith-Rowe’s equalizer.

Onana came in the next game for United’s already infamous cup defeat to Grimsby Town, and unsurprisingly, the former Ajax and Inter stopper was shipped off to Bayindir’s home country of Turkey the same week.

Put back in goal for what should have been a routine home victory over Burnley, Bayindir once again made life harder than it should have been, as he parried an initial reaction save straight to the feet of Jaidon Anthony - his side only came away with a win thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Then came the Manchester Derby - Bayindir could do little to stop the first and third goals, as Phil Foden and Erling Haaland illustrated their credentials with some clinical finishing. However, the same could not be said of the third, as Bayindir found himself delightfully chipped by Haaland despite being less than a regulation ruler away from the ball.

Altay Bayındır pic.twitter.com/EIS5rlKyuM

— ManUnited Türkiye (@ManUnitedTR__) September 27, 2025

However, miraculously, the Turk was given the nod again in their next game against Chelsea, which saw both sides reduced to 10 men. Untested for virtually the entire game, Bauindir avoided the critics on this occasion, conceding only from a Trevoh Chalobah header that was simply unstoppable.

But continuing the pattern of bad performances every other game, Bayindir could be pointed to as directly as fault for two of Brentford’s three goals. The first, a rifled drive into the top corner by Igor Thiago, he could do nothing about.

But 12 minutes later, he parried a catchable Kevin Schade cross straight into the path of the big Brazilian, and despite getting a hand to the rebound, could not prevent it from going over the line.

2-0 down after 20 minutes, United were, not for the first time this season, in dire straits, so when Benjamin Sesko popped up at the other end to net his first goal for the club, Bayindir could not be blamed for experiencing a bit of relief - his side had a chance, despite his mistake.

However, once again, it was the Turk who had the last say in the game. In the fifth minute of added time, Brentford made a fast break, with the ball ending up at the feet of Mathias Jensen. the Dane looked up and shaped to curl the ball into the far corner.

🚨 Bayindir. Diving away from the ball. 😂 pic.twitter.com/l6XA0FkYCw

— UtdTunnel. 🔴 (@unitedtunnel) September 27, 2025

Moving to his left in an attempt to read the shot, Bayindir instead wrong-footed himself, as Jensen blasted his effort straight into the middle of the goal. It was certainly a well struck shot, but from outside the box, no keeper in the world should be getting beaten in the middle of the goal.

Bayindir or Lammens?

So, with that brief roundup done, it is clear that Altay Bayindir is not made for regular Premier League gametime - he has found himself under the microscope too often for all the wrong reasons, and with no visible improvement since the start of the season, his days between the sticks for United are surely numbered.

And that brings us nicely to United’s new man, Senne Lammens. Brought in for £18 million plus any potential add-ons on deadline day, Lammens was supposed to be the man to show Onana how it was done.

United fans were excited about the signing, and for good reason - according to Opta, Lammens made 173 saves in the Belgian Pro League last season. This figure put him head and shoulders above most goalkeepers in Europe, as it was at least 20 more than any other stopper in the continents top 10 leagues.

173 - Senne Lammens made 173 saves in the Belgian Pro League in 2024-25 - 20 more than any other goalkeeper in any of Europe's top-10 leagues last season. Occupied. pic.twitter.com/oM8ap32EXc

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 1, 2025

Though his antics did not result in any silverware for Royal Antwerp, he did help them to a fifth placed finish in the league, one which would have been so much lower but for his presence on the pitch.

So why Ruben Amorim is yet to give him a minute of senior football is beyond most. Yes, he is a young goalkeeper, but at 23, is perfectly mature to slot into the first team rather than being seen as an “option for the future”.

Moreover, his shot-stopping credentials far out-strip Bayindir, who despite impressing on occasions last season, has rarely shown the consistency expected of a Man United goalkeeper. True, Lammens is yet to demonstrate that ability either, but how is he expected to do that from the bench?

📹| Senne Lammens - Commanding Crosses and Distribution (Building from the back)

A significant upgrade on Bayindir #MUFC pic.twitter.com/HK76Fq4aid

— UtdJoshua (@UtdJoshua03) September 19, 2025

Finally, Lammens is also strong with the ball at his feet, a trait demanded by the way modern football is played. His distribution earned him plenty of plaudits while in Belgium, and he will be encouraged that despite training sessions solely focused on moving the ball with composure, Bayindir still exhibits weakness and fragility when asked to do anything other than shot-stopping.

The Final Word

Brought in as a backup option in 2023, Bayindir has shown that he can’t handle more than his job title - his performance to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup last season may have cemented him as a cult hero, but he has rarely looked the same since, and with the pressure building with every passing week, he surely cannot last much longer as United’s go-to starter.

1 - Altay Bayindir is the first Premier League goalkeeper on record (since 2013-14) to save a penalty in both normal time and in a penalty shootout in the same FA Cup game. Hero. pic.twitter.com/9PFSHSz7v5

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 12, 2025

However, Senne Lammens cannot get too comfortable once given the green light - he must grab the opportunity with both hands and, for once, prove the Red Devils recruitment team right.

With a recent history brimming with panic buys and catastrophic big-money moves, United fans will hope that the Belgian proves to be a ray of sunshine poking through the increasingly grey clouds that hover over Old Trafford.