Manchester United could be set to lose their replacement for Andre Onana, as a surprise club has entered the race for the goalkeeper and registered their interest in his services.
There’s no doubt Ruben Amorim would have seen the footage of Andre Onana playing football on his holidays, which made the news of his hamstring injury all the more shocking when it emerged. Onana is set to miss 6-8 weeks of football, prompting Manchester United to potentially hit the market for a replacement.
In terms of replacements, John Victor from Botafogo is one of the names being touted, whilst Senne Lammens is another player the club has contacted. Lammens has held talks with a number of clubs within the Premier League and around Europe.
United are yet to make a formal move for a goalkeeper, instead focusing this week solely on the hopeful signing of Bryan Mbeumo. Brentford are yet to agree to a fee with the Reds, but the feeling is that it’s getting a lot closer.
One solution for United would be to look internally at the academy for a solution, but the opportunity to do that with a certain player could be slipping away, with brand new interest in the goalkeeper emerging.
Millwall admire Radek Vitek
United rate Radek Vitek highly internally at the club, but they could face a battle to keep him this summer, with Millwall now throwing their name into the hat to potentially sign the player, according to The Sun.
There is a chance Vitek could start the season in goal for United if he stays, with Onana expected to be out until after the opening day against Arsenal, but Millwall are hopeful of prying the player away from Old Trafford in the coming weeks.
Vitek is likely to play a big part in the upcoming preseason games in America, starting with West Ham on the 26th of July. The report states that Millwall is keen on Vitek but will not guarantee him a starting place at the club.
United are yet to make a move on either John or Lammens, with previous interest around Emi Martinez earlier in the window disappearing as of late. There is a belief the club will bring a goalkeeper in, but that may depend on how Vitek performs in preseason if he does remain at the club.
A goalkeeper is vital for United
Whether Vitek stays or United signs a goalkeeper, new blood is needed in that area this season. Altay Bayindir was never able to stay convincing enough to stake a claim at starting, and United will need to emulate the Caoimhin Kelleher and Alisson Becker dynamic at Liverpool if they want to be successful again.
Senne Lammens is a sensible cheap option who could potentially overthrow Andre Onana in the future. Onana had been linked with a move away to Saudi this summer, but a move never materialised. Monaco also turned down the chance to sign the player recently.
Read More: Why Manchester United must make exciting star the Plan B for Bryan Mbeumo after scouting mission
Vitek is highly rated at the club, and if he can prove himself in the upcoming games, he deserves a chance. The academy could have saved United so much money in recent seasons, and it should now that the club trusts the products they’ve created to help get them back to the top.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.