- Neville urges Man Utd to sign commanding goalkeeper
- Bayindir error against Arsenal sparks fresh criticism
- Donnarumma and Martinez named as ‘big personality’ targets
Manchester United slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in their Premier League opener after Altay Bayindir’s misjudged punch from a Declan Rice corner gifted Riccardo Calafiori the winning goal. Bayindir started in place of Onana, who wasleft out by Amorim after a disrupted pre-season. The mistake has intensified criticism of United‘s goalkeeping options, and Red Devils legend Neville has hinted that United need to sign a big personality in the form of either Gianluigi Donnarumma or Emiliano Martinez, both of whom they have already been linked with.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: “There is a glaring issue for United that cannot be ignored and that is they need to find a new goalkeeper. They have to, I am absolutely unequivocal on that. It is really unsettling when you don’t have a dominant No 1 who owns his six-yard box, who comes and punches everything and makes saves to save you points when your defenders make mistakes.”
He added: “The two you look at that have been mentioned in the last few weeks are (Gianluigi) Donnarumma and (Emiliano) Martinez. The reason I say those two would be good goalkeepers for Man United is not necessarily because I think they are the best goalkeepers in Europe or that they are amazing.
“I think they have got big personalities and characters. You have seen Donnarumma in a European final for Italy save those penalties and look like a giant, you have seen him play for PSG in huge games under pressure. Martinez has won a World Cup; they have played under extreme pressure and have big personalities and characters, the arrogance of a goalkeeper. They need to sort the goalkeeper out as they will continue to concede goals and points and it undermines what they are doing.”
Manchester United’s goalkeeping struggles have been wholly apparent since David de Gea’s form started dropping off a long time ago. The Red Devils then went for Onana as the successor to the Spaniard, however, the Cameroon international has massively struggled for consistency and confidence. The same has been the case for Bayindir, who United signed from Fenerbahce in 2023.
The Red Devils had been monitoring the situation of Martinez at Aston Villa earlier in the summer, but they have since dropped out of the race. They have been linked with Donnarumma and Antwerp’s Senne Lammens, though no formal move has been made. Amorim will hope to resolve the situation swiftly, as the Red Devils face a crucial decision that could define their season.
