Ruben Amorim explains Altay Bayindir decision - as Man Utd boss takes Andre Onana swipe
The Manchester United boss has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will remain in goal for Sunday's Manchester derby with new signing Senne Lammens, an £18.2million deadline day arrival - to start his Red Devils career on the bench
Ruben Amorim has confirmed Altay Bayindir will start Sunday's Manchester derby ahead of new signing Senne Lammens. Andre Onana's loan move to Trabzonspor meant Amorim faced a straight choice between Bayindir and £18.2million deadline day signing Lammens.
Amorim confirmed he will stick with Bayindir, who has started all three Premier League games this season – and also claimed Onana could not handle the pressure of playing for United.
“It's the same thing I do with different positions, but Altay is going to continue,” said Amorim. “I believe in Altay he is ready to play. It's a different league, a different country, different ball. So they will fight for the position.
“We are really pleased [with Lammens]. He is a goalkeeper with a lot of potential. We are in a moment where the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience, but we also have to look at the present, with a focus on the future, so it's a bit of both. He will be ready.
“Sometimes you as a club you try to see different options. We have an option [in Lammens] who can give us different things in this moment, but who also has a great potential to be our goalkeeper for a number of years.
"Andre had a very good season and the quality is there, but in the club sometimes things are getting harder and harder and at this club the pressure is so hard in every detail, so sometimes you need a change.
“I think we – and Andre - understood that this needed a change and sometimes it's hard to point out why. Sometimes it's the moment, the bad luck in some moments, it's hard on him and on us.
“Our thinking was to have a change in the goalkeepers but I wish the best for Andre, he was really good, working and trying to help the players, but sometimes you can have all the quality in the world but you need a change.”
Amorim also confirmed Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha, injured in United's 3-2 win over Burnley before the international break, are out of the derby, along with Diogo Dalot.
“They are out for this game,” said Amorim. “I don’t know how long it's going to take. We need those guys to be a very competitive team, but we have very good players who are eager to play I don’t want to say [how long they will be out for]. If you talk with Cunha, he will say he can play this game, so I don’t know. We'll manage day by day.”
On facing Pep Guardiola's City, Amorim said: “They are a top team with, for me, the best coach in the world. It's really hard to imagine how they're going to play.
“They change all the time but we believe in our team. The table at the moment doesn’t matter. It's about the same principles, the way we fight for every ball.
“I think we are a better team [than last season]. If you see any aspect, if you see the detail, we are a better team.”
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