Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has confirmed Altay Bayindir will start in goal for the derby against City on Sunday after admitting the club “needed a change”.
The decision comes after Andre Onana left for Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan having struggled to make a positive impact at Old Trafford.
His only appearance of the season had come in the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby before the international break.
The club brought in Belgian shot stopper Senne Lammens as a replacement, but he will have to wait to make his debut beyond this weekend’s Premier League fixtures.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Amorim said: “Altay is going to continue. It is a different league, a different country, different training, different ball.
“So we will try to maintain that and they will fight for the position but for me in this game is clear, Altay will start.”
“Lammens is a goalkeeper with a lot of potential. I know that we are in a moment where the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience.
“We are also in the moment where we have to look at the present but also with a focus on the future – so it is a little bit of both. He’s a guy with a great potential that is one more option [for us] to play, and he will be ready.”
“We have an option that can give us different things in the moment but also has a great potential to be our goalkeeper for a lot of years so that was out choice in the end.
“I think we understood that this needed a change and sometimes it is hard to point out why. Sometimes it is the moment, the bad luck in some moments.
“It is hard on him, on us. Our thinking is to have a change in the goalkeepers but I wish the best for Andre Onana.
“He was really good at working and trying to help the players, but sometimes you can have all the quality in the world but you need a change.”
Cunha update
Fans have been sweating on the fitness of star summer signing Matheus Cunha after he picked up a knock before the international break.
But despite having a couple of weeks to rest, Amorim did not have any good news on the Brazilian, nor on Mason Mount or Diogo Dalot.
He added: “They are out for this game. I don’t know how long it is going to take.
“We need our guys to be a very competitive team but we have very good players who are eager to play, so we will be competitive on Sunday but they are out. They cannot help us in this game.
“If you talk to Cunha he will say he is able to play this game. So I don’t know. We will manage day-by-day. They are pushing really hard and that is a good thing.”
