Paul Merson has urged Manchester United to fix their goalkeeper problem before the transfer window closes, warning that Altay Bayindir has already cost them points.
The Turkey international’s mistake gifted Arsenal their winning goal at Old Trafford, and Merson believes the issue is too serious for United to ignore.
“It is rare in football that a club wins a league title, a Champions League, a Euros or a World Cup without a solid goalkeeper,” he told Sky Sports.
“You have to have a good goalkeeper because they save you points. David Raya won Arsenal points on Sunday, Alisson Becker does it continually for Liverpool and Ederson has done it through the years at Man City.
“Altay Bayindir has lost Man Utd points already with that error against Arsenal. It was a big mistake, a critical mistake in the end.
“I can’t emphasise how important a top goalkeeper is to a football club and Man Utd have to now react before the transfer window closes.”
Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison echoed that view on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, insisting United cannot afford to gamble on their goalkeepers any longer.
“Manchester United have a problem,” he said.
“There are rumours of the Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez. Gianluigi Donnarumma has become available. If I’m United, I am going to get a top-quality goalkeeper.
“Andre Onana also made some big mistakes last season. Goalkeepers are the last line of defence, and they can’t afford to make mistakes like that.”
Despite the error, Merson was not completely down on United’s overall display against the Gunners. He believes there were positives to build on, even if the game ultimately ended in defeat.
“Apart from that error, Man Utd did alright against Arsenal,” he said. “I was impressed with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo but there is still plenty they need to work on to improve as a cohesive unit.
“I really like Matheus Cunha as a player. He’s off the cuff as a player. He’s a real handful for opposition teams. Add in a fit and firing Benjamin Sesko and they will definitely cause plenty of teams problems, but there is still plenty to solve for Ruben Amorim.”
Merson believes Amorim’s side showed effort and flashes of quality but sees warning signs if major improvements are not made in the coming weeks.
“They played as well as they could against Arsenal but still lost the game,” he added. “That’s not the best sign for a team.
“I still can’t see them not being around the middle of the table come the end of the season without further improvement before the transfer window closes.”