Manchester United have endured a miserable start to the Premier League campaign and a club legend has singled out one player who needs to ‘liven up’ for the sake of the team.
The Red Devils began their season with a 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal that was followed up by a disappointing 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday.
Those results leave Ruben Amorim’s side currently 16th in the standings – already five points adrift of Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool who all boast a 100 per cent record.
And after the weekend’s draw at Craven Cottage, Rio Ferdinand has pointed the finger at one of Amorim’s current starters to do better in goalkeeper Altay Bayandir.
‘We look shaky. The goalkeeper doesn’t fill me with massive confidence,’ he said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel.
‘I’ve got to be honest with you, he made a great save in the game from Joshua King, when he came out with his feet, he did really well there.
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‘But from set pieces, even outside of the goal, he’s coming for things that are 50-50 and he’s not sure. The whole backline doesn’t look good in that area, not just the goalkeeper to be honest with you.’
‘He [Bayandir] needs to liven up. I know that, definitely. I’ll tell you what I’d do, I’d be getting him out on the pitch every day and smashing balls under the crossbar.
‘He’s got to get used to it, he’s got to get used to contact and work out a way. Make sure the referee is aware by the way that there’s going to be contact. Shout, get him aware to look at you so if there’s any contact, like in the Fulham game, that you get the free-kick.
‘I don’t think he talks enough, he doesn’t make people aware of what’s going on and then his decision-making in those moments hasn’t been good enough.
‘I don’t think he’s seen enough of that, Declan Rice whipping balls right under his nose. He’s not on his own by the way in lacking a bit of confidence.’
Bayandir’s status as current first choice could be curtailed soon though with United closing in on signing Senne Lammens in a £17million deal from Royal Antwerp.
As detailed by Daily Mail Sport last week, 23-year-old is viewed as a keeper for the long-term and is expected to compete with regular No 1 Andre Onana whose future has been in question after a series of erratic performances last season.
Lammens, a 6ft 3in Belgium Under-21 international, made his debut for Bruges in July 2021 before moving to Antwerp two years later, making a first appearance for the club that November in a Champions League defeat by Porto.
United will need cover as Onana is likely to miss part of the season due to his involvement in Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in December.
