Patience with Andre Onana is beginning to run out at Old Trafford, after his latest error cost Manchester United dearly in their 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.

His unforgivable mistake for Georginio Rutter’s game-sealer on Sunday was his third mistake that led directly to a goal this season, but the bigger problem is that it’s emblematic of a larger issue for United.

As evidenced by Kaoru Mitoma’s second goal for Brighton, Onana’s presence in the box is cripplingly small, and is a glaringly big contributor to United’s vulnerability at home.

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Teams can, if all else fails, load the United box with corners with confidence that the 6”2 Cameroonian won’t come and collect it – he’s made just 13 high claims all season.

A low-confidence team can’t be bullied in their own box, especially at home. However, that threat looms constantly with Onana in net, with the additional threat of a spillage leading to a goal all-too-real.

His prized distribution is also under scrutiny, with his long range passing accuracy ranking statistics in the lower percentiles for his position, and the time he takes to make a decision the source of increasing frustration at Old Trafford.

The time to embrace change is now. Urgent action before the January transfer window ends could be justified, but if not the courting of a summer signing should start as soon as possible.

Altay Bayindir

United can look a bit closer to home for the immediate solution. Arguably Bayindir should have played the last two league games with the 26-year-old riding a high after a stellar performance in the FA Cup vs Arsenal.

At 6”4 his presence is more commanding, and had he been able to capitalise on the Arsenal game with a low-pressure game vs Southampton as well as Brighton yesterday, there would be more mileage between now and the poor performance in the Carabao Cup vs Tottenham.

Rather than putting the spotlight on him with sporadic cup appearances, Amorim must show some faith in his shot-stopping ability and tap into confidence given the dearth of it in the squad at present.

Mike Maignan

Failing that, goalkeeper is a position that should be prioritised by recruitment – what use are outfield improvements if trust in your goalkeeper is low?

There were murmurings of a £67million offer for Mike Maignan before the January transfer window that haven’t materialised, but Maignan should still be a top target.

If Old Trafford has become a pressurised environment for the United squad, the AC Milan no. 1 is well prepared having honed his skills in the San Siro. Despite standing at a similar height to Onana, Maignan leads the Serie A percentiles for crosses claimed and also ranks highly for his save percentages and distribution.

At 29, he is well-experienced and that, combined with his contract expiration due in June 2026, might make a reasonable price tag. The only hitch is that new AC Milan manager Sérgio Conceição has vocally backed his man since taking over in December.

Senne Lammens

It’s out of left field but the 22-year-old Royal Antwerp shot-stopper could be a solution, likely readily available to come in now with the season largely written off rather than harnessing the burden of being a major transfer in the summer. A buy and immediate loan-back could also help decrease the pressure upon his arrival.

His statistics, albeit in the Belgian Pro League, are exemplary with league-leading efforts in saves made, save percentage, pass accuracy and crosses claimed. He’s also 6”3 so poses a bigger presence in the vulnerable United net.

Those stats do suffer when turning attention to his side’s Champions League campaign last season, but there’s undoubtedly strong potential for the youngster who could be attained at low cost and at relative ease.