Crouch criticizes United’s recruitment as Lammens remains on the bench amid goalkeeping controversy

Peter Crouch has questioned Manchester United’s goalkeeper recruitment strategy, saying the club now appears to have “three No 2 goalkeepers” after Senne Lammens was benched once more in the visit to Brentford. The Belgium Under-21 international, signed for £21 million from Royal Antwerp this summer, has yet to make his competitive debut for United.

Ruben Amorim again chose Altay Bayindir to start in goal for Saturday’s trip to the Gtech Community Stadium, leaving Lammens to watch from the bench as United rotated in another routine test of their options. It comes after a season in which Andre Onana left the club following a run of costly errors, paving the way for Bayindir and Lammens to compete for the shirt in difficult circumstances.

"It feels to me the situation with the goalkeeper just hasn't been addressed, it feels like they've got three Number 2s," Crouch told TNT Sports. "It's an issue that was obvious – [Andre] Onana wasn't going to be the No 1, I think we knew that at the start of the season and I don't think this situation has been addressed. Senne Lammens has come in and was bought to potentially be a No1 but he can't get in the team. He's still a young lad, he's only had one real season in football, and they're starting Bayindir. I don't know why, when you've got Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emi Martinez available in the summer, the situation wasn't resolved."

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Manchester United goalkeepers image]

"Bayindir understood that he was No2, but now he finds himself in a No1 situation. Obviously they don't think Lammens is ready. He's still a young man and maybe eventually he'll be the No1, but a club of United's stature – you think of Barthez, Van der Sar, Schmeichel – over the course of their history, they've always had a dominant goalkeeper. Martinez felt the obvious situation, that he'd come in – he's dominant, he's a character, he's someone who fits the stature of United."

The discussion underscores broader scrutiny of United’s goalkeeping choices under Amorim. Onana’s departure for Trabzonspor followed a period of high-profile mistakes, leaving Bayindir and Lammens to cope with the pressures of a challenging Premier League schedule. While Crouch framed United’s plan as lacking conviction, supporters have also watched how Bayindir has adapted to a role he initially viewed as temporary and how Lammens has integrated, with training-ground observers noting his composure and maturity.

Tom Heaton, a veteran voice at United, has publicly praised Lammens’s early development. Speaking on the Training Ground Guru podcast, Heaton said the 23-year-old has shown a strong personality and fundamentals that suggest potential, remarking that Lammens had impressed “in training” after only a short period with the group. The comments reflect a broader tone of measured patience around Lammens’s trajectory, even as questions persist about whether United’s recruitment will deliver a reliable, long-term No 1.

The current situation at United highlights a broader debate about the club’s recruitment philosophy in goalkeeping. Crouch’s observations align with a narrative that United may have misjudged the balance between signing a proven top-tier presence and cultivating a domestic successor who can emerge into a first-choice role. For supporters and analysts following the club, the key question remains whether Lammens can develop into a consistent starter, or if the team will continue to rely on Bayindir as the immediate, incumbent option while the club reassesses its options for the position in the near future.