André Onana's troubled fortunes at Manchester United show no sign of improving following the arrival of Ruben Amorim, as the Cameroon goalkeeper endured one of his lowest moments yet in the 3-1 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
The keeper wasn't the only United player at fault during a miserable 3-1 defeat by Brighton, with this current United incarnation failing to respect the legacy of Red Devils great Dennis Law - who passed away on Friday - with a display entirely lacking the vigour, dash and courage of Law's European Cup winners of 1968.
United were already 2-1 down and seeking an equaliser when Onana's error in the 76th minute condemned them to a sixth defeat in the 11 PL matches since Amorim arrived as head coach as a replacement for also-struggling Erik ten Hag.
Attempting to smother a cross from Yasin Asari on the right flank, Onana took the ball to the turf, appearing to have everything under control, only for it to squeeze out of his grasp and into the path of substitute Georginio Rutter.
It was a gilt-edged opportunity for the Franco-Malagasy forward, who seized on the chance and fired a powerful effort beyond the sprawling stopper.
"An awful mistake from Onana," ex-United striker Dion Dublin said on BBC. "He'll not want to look at this, he has no players around him. There's no danger, just gather it and take it in."
That said, he could have done little about the opener from Gambia's Yankuba Minteh, as United were thoroughly carved open, nor the diving close-range backpost finish from Kaoru Mitoma, as Minteh's swinging cross evaded the hosts' backline.
Brighton only registered three shots on target during the course of the contest, a damning indictment of Onana's contribution, and while Minteh made the most of the space he enjoyed on the right, there was to be no heroic cameo from wonderkid Amad Diallo to save United on this occasion.
Far from emerging as one of the solutions to United's problems, as had been hoped, Onana has become yet another concern in the long list of issues for Amorim to address during what is shaping up to be a particularly testing year for the Portuguese head coach.
The manager resisted criticising the goalkeeper directly when asked about his blunder after the match, but privately the 39-year-old must surely be questioning whether it's time to take Onana out of the firing line.
Unlike a week or two ago, Amorim now has a viable option to at least explore beyond the Cameroon keeper, with Altay Bayindir excelling in the FA Cup Third Round victory over Arsenal, notably emerging as United's saviour during the penalty shootout.
That showing transformed the 26-year-old Turk from untrusted squad player to a credible alternative between the sticks for United, with some portions of the fanbase already appearing to believe that Amorim should have replaced Onana as his No. 1 in the aftermath of the Arsenal victory.
Expect those calls to intensify in light of Onana's latest setback, with Amorim surely needing to revaluate the goalkeeper who cost the club £47.2 million when he was signed by Ten Hag in 2023.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss why Ruben Amorim is struggling to deliver results at Man United after his side's 2-0 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford.
The former Ajax man was meant to set the tone for the Dutchman's tactical approach, using his lauded technical ability, excellent vision and impressive passing ability to instigate attacking moves and ensure the Red Devils were quickly back on the front foot.
This version of Onana has been spied increasingly rarely in recent months, with the stopper's passing occasionally wayward, and the confidence he once enjoyed in possession replaced by hesitancy and a tendency to move the ball around without purposeful direction.
Onana's one key strength appears to have disappeared, while neither he nor United's defenders appear able to transmit confidence to the other during these tense and tumultuous times.
More broadly, United's decision to allow club servant David de Gea to depart on a free transfer in 2023, before parting with such an eye-watering fee for Onana is increasingly looking like a costly misstep from Ten Hag.
The lapse against Brighton was the fourth time this season that Onana has made an error which has led directly to a goal. For context, only Arijanet Muric of Ipswich Town has been guilty of directly contributing to the opposition scoring more often than the Cameroonian.
By contrast, De Gea, playing now for Fiorentina in Serie A, is yet to make an error that has led to a goal this season, albeit in a less competitive league. The Spaniard's save rate of 72.5 percent is also superior to Onana (63.7), with the Viola man also registering more saves per match than his successor at Old Trafford.
While Onana is conceding an average of over 1.4 goals per match this season, De Gea is letting in just 1.16 goals per match, and at 34, should still have several strong years ahead of him in Europe's big leagues.
Amorim, of course, must live in the present, and the midweek Europa League 'Battle of Britain' against Glasgow Rangers will represent a stern test of his faith in Onana. Don't be surprised if it's Bayindir, and not his Cameroonian rival, who starts between the sticks for the Red Devils on Thursday.