All summer long at Manchester United the message has been clear: goalkeeper is not a priority position to strengthen this summer in the transfer window.

Andre Onana would still be the No 1 this season, insiders insisted on multiple occasions. His absence from the matchday squad versus Arsenal – fiercely defended by Ruben Amorim amid accusations that he was dropped – copied with the fact his manager didn’t declare him the No 1 on Friday at his pre-match press conference doing little to cement that.

Others would point to the summer budget needing to be prioritised on the ‘bigger problem’ areas – not least the attack that was totally abject last season. Amorim was backed with £200million to rip that part of the pitch up and start all over again.

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

Go back to December 20 last year when Altay Bayindir made two high-profile mistakes to knock United out of the Carabao Cup against Tottenham, conceding straight from Son Heung-min’s corner which put Spurs 4-2 up.

Altay Bayindir (left) made a mistake after being preferred to Andre Onana by Ruben Amorim

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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.

The risk they run now is for all the progress they appear to have made defensively, in midfield and in attack, uncertainty over the goalkeeper is creating anxiety that will permeate the rest of the group.

‘It is really unsettling when you haven’t got a dominant No 1, who is dominant in the air, who owns his six-yard box, comes and punches everything and makes a lot of saves to win you points when your defenders make mistakes,’ Gary Neville said on his podcast.

‘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.

Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Champions League last season but he is free to leave PSG now

Manchester United made a loan pitch to Aston Villa earlier in the window for Emiliano Martinez

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.

Man United’s goalkeepers do not compare favourably to their rumoured transfer targets

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.