Ruben Amorim finally handed Senne Lammens his Manchester United debut in Saturday’s must-win Premier League game against Sunderland.
The United manager is once again battling to save his job following a disastrous start to the new season.
After last week’s defeat against Brentford, the Red Devils began the weekend in 14th place having collected just seven points from their first six games.
Lammens was among a clutch of signings sanctioned by Amorim in the summer, but the Belgium Under-21 international has been forced to wait to make his first appearance.
After Andre Onana’s departure on loan to Trabzonspor, Amorim opted top place his faith in Altay Bayındir who was afforded an opportunity to cement his status as the club’s No.1.
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The 27-year-old has, however, struggled to convince and was guilty of committing several errors in the most recent calamitous defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium.
With his own job on the line, Amorim has decided the time is now right to switch goalkeepers and select Lammens against the Black Cats.
‘It’s rotation,’ said the United manager explaining his decision. ‘Everybody has to be ready to play. We need to win this game and every opponent is different. We have to find the best characteristics to win the game.
‘What matters is the next game but we saw the last game we need to improve in certain things that are really crucial to win football matches.’
Overall, Amorim made five changes with Matheus Cunha, Harry Maguire, Manuel Ugarte and Patrick Dorgu also dropping to the bench.
Amorim added: ‘Concentration and determination are key for our team to win more matches. They [the players] know it, I know it, everyone knows it, so we have to show it today.
‘If you’re focused enough, you’ll know what to do in every situation. If there’s something to emphasize, it’s concentration. We have to win every match. We have that responsibility.
‘We give the team all the information they need to be prepared to face their opponents. Of course, each team tries to do different things to win. The most important thing is to play with passion, determination, and focus.’