Mark Lawrenson, Liverpool legend and renowned pundit does not believe Manchester United will miss Andre Onana while he’s away at the African Nations Cup.

Lawrenson did not exactly back his replacement Altay Bayindir but feels he can’t be ‘any worse’ than Onana.

READ: Who is Man United Keeper Altay Bayindir? Turkiye’s Rising Star

“Altay Bayindir can’t be any worse than André Onana!” Lawrenson told Paddy Power.

“The number of mistakes that Onana has made, Manchester United won’t be any worse off if he heads to AFCON. Sometimes you have to throw someone in – this is his chance. Hopefully, he’ll get some protection, which Onana has never had, but he’s been poor anyway.

“He’s a 5/10 for his performances so far, and it can be difficult coming into a new club, but I don’t see how they can do any worse than that – unless they give David de Gea a phone call to come back for a few games. Stranger things have happened!”

Despite arriving for a hefty £43 million last summer, Onana’s performance has been far from impressive. High-profile blunders and conceding 27 Premier League goals already have put him under fire.

So, the spotlight shifts to Altay Bayindir, the Turkish shot-stopper waiting in the wings. Can he rise to the occasion and prove Lawrenson wrong?

To make matters worse United manager Erik ten Hag has refused to use Bayindir any time to ease into the role and decided to keep Onana until the last possible minute.

Onana could have been on international duty already but United agreed with Cameroon to keep him on until Sunday. The keeper could actually play against Tottenham and then fly to AFCON where the first game will start 24 hours later.

Bayindir hasn’t seen a single minute of competitive action for United yet, leaving everyone wondering if he’s up for the Premier League pressure cooker.