Why Ruben Amorim must turn to Senne Lammens and drop Altayir Bayindir for Sunderland | OneFootball

Among the admissions following Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford was that Altay Bayindir could have done better for the Bees’ second and third goals.

While there was little he could have done to prevent Igor Thiago’s opener, gifted by Harry Maguire’s poor decision-making, Bayindir’s role in the other two goals drew scrutiny.

Maguire failed to play the offside trap, allowing Thiago a clear run on goal to break the deadlock.

Bayindir was not to blame for that one. But the next two? He should have done better.

Costly errors

The Turkish goalkeeper’s decision to punch Kevin Schade’s shot straight into Thiago’s path handed Brentford their second. It was a routine save turned into a tap-in; Bayindir’s blunder, plain and simple.

Then came Mathias Jensen’s long-range strike in injury time. It flew straight down the middle, with Bayindir caught out of position near the edge of his box. He failed to backtrack quickly enough, and Jensen punished him.

Bayindir was not dreadful across the 90; he made five saves, but his goalkeeping contributed to United’s defeat at the Gtech.

Warning signs ignored

The warning signs were there before kick-off. Stats circulating ahead of the game showed Bayindir’s save percentage sat at a dismal 54%, the worst of any keeper to have started every match by that point.

That alone should have spooked Ruben Amorim into benching him. But as stubborn as he is, he did not.

After another unconvincing display from the Turkish international, Lammens cannot continue to sit and watch.

Time for Lammens

The Belgian deserves his chance between the sticks.

Last season in the Pro League, Lammens prevented 18.4 goals, according to a BBC analysis. He also averaged at least four saves per game with a 77.4% success rate.

And it was not just shot-stopping “Baby Courtois” also completed 72.1% of his passes and delivered eight long balls per outing.

Bayindir may look the part, some even say he has been slicker than Andre Onana, but his pass completion rate sits at just 61.02%.

With pressure piling on Amorim, a Lammens masterclass against Sunderland, who must not be taken lightly, could help steady the ship.

Highly rated Lammens

Lammens is highly rated. As Ben Jacobs revealed via United Focus:

“This is a goalkeeper (Lammens) that, in circles both at Manchester United and across the wider industry, is mentioned in the same breath as Mike Penders—another Belgian keeper currently on loan at Strasbourg from Chelsea.

“These two are seen as generational talents. The next big thing.”

It is curious, then, that Amorim has not tried him out.

Ultimately, it makes little sense to persist with Bayindir, only to throw Lammens into the fire at Anfield against Liverpool to prove a point.

A point that he was not his first-choice keeper.

Featured image Octavio Passos via Getty Images

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