Throughout the summer, the stance at Manchester United has been consistent: acquiring a new goalkeeper is not a priority in this transfer window.

Despite Andre Onana being confirmed as the leading choice for this season, insiders repeatedly reassured this point. His exclusion from the squad against Arsenal, which Ruben Amorim strongly defended amid claims of a demotion, along with the manager’s reluctance to affirm his No 1 status in the pre-match press conference, has not strengthened his position.

Some argue that the summer budget should focus on more pressing issues such as overhauling the attack, which significantly underperformed last season. To address this, Amorim was allocated £200 million to revitalize the offensive line.

But a goalkeeping error once again undid a lot of the good work on show – and they lost.

Reflecting on last December, Altay Bayindir’s two major mistakes led to United’s exit from the Carabao Cup against Tottenham, including conceding a goal directly from Son Heung-min’s corner.

Six days later, with Onana back in goal, he conceded directly from a corner by now-United attacker Matheus Cunha. United would lose both matches.

Now, there’s a risk that despite improvements in defense, midfield, and attack, the lack of clarity over the goalkeeper role could spread unease throughout the team.

Gary Neville noted on his podcast, ‘It’s unsettling when you lack a strong No 1 who dominates the air, commands the box, clears danger, and makes crucial saves that can redeem defensive lapses.’

‘I don’t know where they are on PSR, but they might have to magic up a bit more money in the next week or two, or do something on loan.’

How many rabbits they still have left to pull from the hat remains to be seen. Privately there is a degree of pessimism as to just how much is left when it comes to a goalkeeper.

Earlier in the summer there was interest in a loan move for Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, as reported by Daily Mail Sport. That was swiftly rejected by Villa and United had little interest in pursuing that move on a permanent basis. His representatives have pushed that potential deal more so than United.

Then there is Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was deemed surplus to requirements by Paris Saint-Germain following the arrival of Lucas Chevalier as their new No 1.

It seemed to be an obvious link. A top level goalkeeper who has won the Euros as well as the Champions League. Suggestions of Donnarumma coming to Old Trafford were quickly shut down. He is not being pursued was the word back.

Neville put it best on the attribute that makes the pair so attractive to a club the size of United.

‘The reason I think they would be good goalkeepers for Man United is not necessarily because they are the best goalkeepers in Europe, but they are big personalities and characters,’ he added.

‘You’ve seen Donnarumma in a European final save those penalties for Italy. He looked like a giant. He’s played for PSG in huge games under pressure. Martinez has played in the World Cup final and won it for Argentina.

‘They have played under extreme pressure and they almost walk out with that arrogance and dominance of a goalkeeper – Man Utd need that.’

Last season, across all competitions, Onana made 50 appearances, Donnarumma 47, Martinez 53 and Bayindir 10.

Onana conceded 1.3 goals per game in that time, compared to 1.15 for Martinez, 0.91 Donnarumma and 1.8 for Bayindir.

Take f saves inside the box per game and Onana’s 1.48 ranks third, behind Martinez’s 1.91 and Donnarumma’s 1.57.

Onana’s 66.1% save percentage pales into comparison to Donnarumma (71.5%) and Martinez (75.4%) too.

And the stats can go on and on if required.

But the wider point here is that Manchester United can ill afford to have an anxiety-inducing goalkeeper disrupting things when they are showing green shoots of life that things can and will get better this season.

United great Wayne Rooney likened it on his new podcast to when Van der Sar came in after Roy Carroll and Tim Howard had both had spells as the No 1. Immediately a sense of calm arrived. The presence of Van der Sar was worth its weight in gold.

Amorim doesn’t want to complain publicly – he can’t complain publicly about goalkeepers – and perhaps his hands are tied. There are concerns about Donnarumma’s exorbitant wages and the money it would take to get 32-year-old Martinez out of Villa in a period where Ineos are seeking younger players.

Belgian youngster Senne Lammens is another target, although Inter Milan will beat them in that race if they dither on the 23-year-old for much longer.

‘We proved today we can win any game in the Premier League, especially against a great team like Arsenal,’ Amorim said after losing to Arsenal.

‘We were the better team. I’m happy with the three goalkeepers.’

With two weeks to go in the summer transfer window, United and Amorim would be wise to reconsider where their top priority really lies.