Manchester United have had an uneven start to the 2025-26 Premier League campaign thus far. After underwhelming Premier League 2025 results against Arsenal (1-0) and Fulham (1-1), the Red Devils bounced back with a 3-2 win against Burnley right before the international break, giving head coach Ruben Amorim a huge sigh of relief.
Their attack has been superb in the first three games, but it’s their midfield and defence that are letting them down. Otherwise, they could’ve already accumulated nine points. Manchester United have been busy in the summer transfer window. After securing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, they completed the deadline-day signing of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp.
Before acquiring Lammens, Manchester United had been linked to a potential move with Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez. Instead, they’ve put their trust in an unproven young keeper, and it’ll be interesting to see how Lammens’ Red Devils career pans out.
Manchester United’s complicated goalkeeper situation
Manager Ruben Amorim knew that the Red Devils needed a massive overhaul this summer after overseeing the team’s worst-ever finish in the Premier League during his first six months in charge, and the area that needs fixing is the goalkeeper position.
During their preseason tour, Amorim took turns deploying Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, and even Tom Heaton, which produced mixed results. Onana was eventually held out for the rest of the offseason due to a leg injury. Believe it or not, the 39-year-old Heaton had better performances out of the three.
During the opener against Arsenal, Bayindir started between the sticks. Manchester United lost by one goal, despite their superb attack, as Bayindir wasn’t strong enough to keep Riccardo Calafiori’s header from a corner out of his net. And then against Fulham, Bayindir conceded the equaliser, as he read Emile Smith Rowe’s shot wrong off a cross.
Andre Onana replaced Bayindir during the team’s EFL Cup second round loss against Grimsby Town, and he didn’t do much better. The Cameroonian conceded twice in the first 30 minutes, and Manchester United were lucky to send the game to penalties after late goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire.
A few days later, Bayindir underperformed against Burnley. However, captain Bruno Fernandes saved the day by converting his late penalty.
How Lammens can fit and help Manchester United
As mentioned, Manchester United paid Royal Antwerp a reported transfer fee of £18.1 million to acquire Senne Lammens. As it turns out, the team had already been scouting the 23-year-old for a while.
At 6’4″, Lammens is a handful to deal with between the sticks, and the data supports it. Of all goalkeepers in Europe’s Top 10 leagues last season, Lammens ranked first for total saves made (173) with a 77.4 per cent save percentage. Using the xG metric, he was expected to concede 66.4 goals but only let in 48 (excluding own goals), placing him second in Europe for goals prevented, having stopped 18.4 total goals.
Lammens’ best attribute is stopping crosses, as he ranked first among all goalies in Europe’s Top 10 leagues for crosses stopped (13.2 per cent), which could’ve come in handy against Arsenal. The Red Devils have been targeted over their inability to defend set-pieces, so they’ll be hoping that Lammens can solve this concern with his proactivity inside the box. The Zottegem native is also an underrated distributor of the football, good for teams who like to play from the back.
However, Lammens is far from a finished article. He may have put up great statistics playing in the Belgian Pro League, but the Premier League is a different animal. The 23-year-old will experience some growing pains, so he’ll need the support from the fans and management.
The writing is on the wall for the other Manchester United keepers
With Senne Lammens in tow, Manchester United had four goalkeepers, so they sent out Andre Onana on loan at Trabzonspor for the rest of the season with no buy clause. Onana reportedly wants a higher salary after the Red Devils implemented pay cuts for their failure to secure a place in European football, and the Cameroonian got his wish. Don’t be surprised if Manchester United eventually sells the 29-year-old.
This means that the first-choice goalkeeper spot is up for grabs between Lammens and Bayindir. According to the SBOTOP Premier League 2025 odds, the former is poised to take it, especially if the latter continues to falter. Overall, Manchester United have done well for themselves this summer. However, patience is needed since it’ll take some time for everything to come together.
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