Ruben Amorim names Altay Bayindir Manchester Derby starter

Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will start in goal for Manchester United in Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad, choosing experience over new signing Senne Lammens.

United spent £18.1m to sign 23-year-old Lammens from Royal Antwerp on Deadline Day, while Andre Onana — first choice for the past two seasons — has been sent out on loan to Trabzonspor after a turbulent spell at Old Trafford.

But despite Bayindir making high-profile errors against Arsenal and Burnley, Amorim is keeping faith with the Turkish international against Manchester City.

“Altay is going to continue,” Amorim told reporters. “It is a different league, different country, different ball. So they [Bayindir and Lammens] will fight for the position.”

Andre Onana, who cost £47m from Inter Milan in 2023, endured a difficult two years in Manchester. Despite flashes of quality, his time was marred by errors, bad luck, and loss of confidence. Amorim confirmed the decision to loan him out was mutual.

“Not just us as a club, but also Andre, I think we understood that this needed a change,” Amorim said. “Sometimes you can have all the quality in the world, but sometimes you need to change the environment to return to your level.”

He added: “I wish the best for Andre. He was really good at working, trying to help the players. But it was hard on him and hard on us.”

Bayindir, 27, now has the chance to cement his place in United’s starting XI, but Lammens will be pushing hard for minutes once he settles in. Amorim confirmed that the Belgian would need time to adapt to England before challenging.

“It is a different league, different country, different ball,” he said. “So they will fight for the position.”

Amorim also confirmed United will be without three first-team players for the clash against City. Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, and Diogo Dalot are all sidelined through injury, meaning at least three enforced changes for the manager.

He admitted the full extent of their absences is still being assessed, adding further uncertainty to his lineup.

FootballPlace analyst John William believes Amorim is right to back Bayindir in the derby, despite recent mistakes:

“Dropping Bayindir now would send the wrong message. He’s made errors, but he’s also the only senior keeper with any real Premier League exposure in the squad. Lammens is a long-term project, not someone to throw into a Manchester derby days after arriving.”

William added: “The real challenge for Amorim is how quickly he can integrate Lammens. If Bayindir continues to be error-prone, the pressure will mount quickly to fast-track the Belgian.”

United travel to the Etihad needing a statement performance after a shaky start. For Bayindir, it is a huge chance to prove he can handle the pressure of one of the biggest fixtures in world football.

For Lammens, patience will be required — but his long-term opportunity will come. The real question is whether Bayindir can do enough in the short term to keep him on the bench.

Is Amorim right to trust Bayindir in the Manchester derby — or should he throw Lammens straight in?