No wonder Ruben Amorim couldn’t look.
It was bad enough that, on a rain-lashed night in Cleethorpes, his Manchester United side had been forced to rely on late goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire to claw back a two-goal Carabao Cup deficit against League Two side Grimsby Town.
But as Amorim sat in the dugout with his head bowed, steadfastly averting his gaze from a penalty shootout that would culminate in a 12-11 defeat and one of the most humbling nights in United’s history, he had clearly seen enough.
The Portuguese later explained that, from his perspective, it was what unfolded across 90 minutes that mattered, not the spot-kicks that would determine his side’s fate. By the time the shootout rolled around, the damage had been done: not least by another calamitous performance in goal, this time from André Onana.
How André Onana failed to convince in Grimsby Town defeat
Preferred to Altay Bayindir, the Turkey international who has started both United’s Premier League games so far this season without convincing in either, Onana failed spectacularly to make a case for his inclusion.
On a night when United plumbed new depths, it seemed almost unfair to single out individuals. And had Onana’s shortcomings been limited to a failure to keep out the near-post effort from Charles Vernam that gave Grimsby a well-deserved lead, his role in the defeat would have been seen as part of a wider malaise.
But the Cameroonian’s inability to deal with a relatively straightforward cross – missing the ball, he instead flattened Maguire and Harvey Rodgers, allowing Tyrell Warren to double the home side’s advantage – made censure inevitable.
Worse was to come. Had Amorim forced himself to watch the shootout, he would have seen Onana succeed in keeping out just one of 13 penalties while repeatedly diving the wrong way. On the handful of occasions the 29-year-old got a hand to the ball, he was unable to keep it out. From preparation to anticipation to technique, Onana was found wanting.
Why Manchester United must prioritise a move for Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens
Given that Bayindir has looked equally unconvincing – at fault for Arsenal’s winner in the home league defeat to Arsenal, he looked similarly unconvincing in the subsequent draw at Fulham – United’s need for a new goalkeeper could hardly be more pronounced.
Reports differ as to how close the club are to securing a deal for first-choice target Senne Lammens, the 23-year-old Royal Antwerp stopper who has also been linked with Inter Milan and Galatasaray. Widely touted as the natural successor to Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian youth international missed Antwerp’s weekend win over Mechelen in anticipation of a possible move.
Lammens is yet to make a senior appearance for Belgium, but a fee in the region of £25m for a player whose value is likely to increase significantly if he fulfils his promise would clearly represent good value for United.
Hopes are high at Old Trafford that a deal can be concluded before the transfer window closes on Monday evening – and understandably so, given that Lammens prevented 17.4 goals from being scored in the Belgian Pro League last season according to Opta Analyst.
What is clear is that he cannot arrive soon enough.
