Ben Foster names two signings who can save Man Utd from ‘mid-table misery’

Ben Foster says Manchester United have little choice but to sign a ‘proper goalkeeper’ and should be targeting one of Gianluigi Donnarumma or Emiliano Martinez in order to to escape ‘mid-table misery’ this season.

United were much the better team in their Premier League opener against Arsenal, but were let down by an Altay Bayindir error for Riccardo Calafiori’s 13th-minute header, which ultimately proved to be the winner.

It was widely assumed that Andre Onana had missed Sunday’s 1-0 defeat through injury, but Ruben Amorim confirmed that the Cameroonian was fully fit and his omission was down to the ‘balance’ of the team.

It leaves Amorim with an almighty selection headache ahead of the side’s trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham next weekend, with 39-year-old Tom Heaton the only other option in United’s first-team squad.

The Red Devils have until the transfer window closes on September 1 to bring in a new shot-stopper and there have been calls for Donnarumma to be brought to Old Trafford after the Italian was discarded by PSG boss Luis Enrique.

Martinez is another goalkeeper who has been linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams throughout the course of the summer, but Aston Villa are reportedly adamant that their number one is not for sale.

‘It just forces Manchester United’s hand now to go and sign a proper goalkeeper,’ ex-United ‘keeper Foster said of Bayindir’s shaky display on his Ben Foster – The Cycling GK YouTube channel.

‘I think if you can get a Martinez or Donnarumma then you’ve just got to do it now. You’ve got to do it.

‘If you sign that player then it’s going to be the difference between mid-table misery or really pushing for that top six and I think if they can get that goalkeeper in then they can push for the top six.

‘I said in our predictions the other day that Manchester United could get a sneaky fourth or fifth, but that’s on the proviso that they get a proper goalkeeper in.’

According to Foster, Amorim should start with veteran goalkeeper Heaton against Fulham should United fail to sign anyone before Sunday’s contest.

‘You need to be behind the scenes to know where everybody is at. Tom Heaton hasn’t played a lot of football,’ Foster said of Amorim’s options.

‘He’s played some pre-season friendlies, Onana didn’t play any because he got injured and then Bayindir has obviously been fit all the way through.

‘I think that’s the overriding decision as to why he started the game, but by all accounts Onana is fit now.

‘What this does now is it is a massive problem for the next game, it’s a massive headache for the next game and it asks all these sorts of questions. There’s going to be so much surrounding it coming into that next game.

‘Do you start Bayindir, whose confidence will be low after this first game? People will be going, “Onana isn’t much better and there’s a lot of pressure on him”… Tom Heaton, I would trust him to give me a six and a half or seven and a half out of ten.’

Setting aside United’s goalkeeping issues, Foster felt Amorim’s men were largely impressive against Arsenal, with new signing Matheus Cunha producing an ‘absolutely brilliant’ performance.

‘I thought they were fantastic in the game and didn’t deserve to lose, they definitely didn’t deserve to lose the game,’ he added.

‘We were buzzing off Cunha and Mbeumo, we were buzzing off that front three a few weeks back and Cunha was just different level.

‘He’s always positive and he always just looks to go forward. He never looks for the simple option and he’ll always try and break ranks or exploit space.

‘He’ll always try and get his shot off which, at times, does annoy some of the other players because he’s happy to shoot from 40 yards at times.

‘I thought he was absolutely brilliant and man of the match yesterday.’

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