Man United must be careful with Senne Lammens next season | OneFootball

“The hardest position in English football,” was Gary Neville’s assessment of whichever goalkeeper is trusted between the sticks for Manchester United, while Edwin van der Sar extended the scope of his former teammate’s analysis: “I think [it] is the hardest job in the world football.”

There are few people in the world more qualified than the legendary Dutch shot-stopper to comment on the weight and pressure of the No. 1 shirt at Old Trafford, though the right-back who played just ahead of him would also feature highly on that list of esteemed judges.

And both players-turned-pundits were unanimous in their praise of Senne Lammens, United’s current holder of the jersey, who has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in English football.

Signed from Royal Antwerp for an initial £18.1 million on deadline day last summer, the 23-year-old Belgium international was initially projected to be a long-term solution in goal, not an immediate one.

However, the disastrous performances of the two competitors at his new club, Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, quickly led the relatively inexperienced signing to assume the starting berth – and it has proven a masterstroke for the Red Devils. Where both Onana, who is currently on loan at Süper Lig side Trabzonspor, and Bayindir, expected to also return to Türkiye this summer, were chaotic sources of uncertainty, Lammens has provided assured calmness.

And this sense of security has diffused throughout the defence ahead of the Belgian, helping United to steadily climb the table since his debut in October against Sunderland, despite a change of coach in the dugout and a revolving door of different centre-back partnerships.

You would be hard-pressed to find a better transfer by any English club from that window, with Lammens the best signing during the INEOS era, given his age, price and the magnitude of the role he was confronted with after just one year of experience as a starter in the Belgian Pro League.

Man United's signings under INEOS - Ratings

So why, therefore, does this writer contend that a new goalkeeper should be a priority for United if the club already struck gold? Because, in football, a team is only as good as their back-ups in key positions – and the No. 2 to the No. 1 at the Theatre of Dreams resembles more of a nightmare, unless INEOS intervene this summer.

Dumb and Dumber

With a wealth of evidence to support this claim, neither Bayindir nor Onana is capable of starting in goal for Manchester United. Arguably, they are not good enough to be the first choice for any side in the Premier League.

Despite being signed for £47.2 million to replace long-term stalwart David De Gea, Onana has proved a disastrous acquisition, lacking the fundamentals to cope with English football, but possessing an overabundance of confidence in his limited abilities.

The number of mistakes the Cameroon international made across his two years as a starter was so consistent that many United fans would be forgiven for having long forgotten them, only for a clip to pop up on social media and the horrors immediately come flooding back.

Conversely, Bayindir cost less than £5 million and was never intended to be anything more than a bench option. However, he is woefully short of even this supporting role, having been arguably even worse than Onana when playing in his 29-year-old teammate’s stead.

Both goalkeepers were signed in the same window by Erik ten Hag and offer resounding proof he should never be allowed to dictate a club’s transfer window again, though United executives should have learned that lesson after being forced to pay £81 million to reunite the Dutchman with Antony the previous year.

Bayindir and Onana will be sold this summer if suitable buyers can be found, though the latter will prove a more difficult exit to facilitate due to his wage packet and PSR constraints. United would be better off taking a hit than allowing him to step foot back in Old Trafford, however.

This means a new back-up to Lammens must arrive in Dumb and Dumber’s place, one with the skillset to capably deputise for the Belgian, but also the experience and knowledge to cope with the pressure of England’s biggest club and the physical demands of English football. Accordingly, it should prove fortuitous that Radek Vitek, a talented young goalkeeper currently thriving in the Championship, earning plaudits left, right and centre for his performances on loan at Bristol City, is on the books.

But this would be a mistake, for player and club, with the potential to have adverse effects for both parties moving forward.

Vitek Must Not Be Sacrificed

Vitek, 22, joined the Bristolian side in July last summer on a season-long loan, having agreed a contract extension with United until 2028 just prior to the move.

The Czech under-20 international is highly regarded at Old Trafford, with a permanent transfer to Sturm Graz blocked in the same window. He has previously enjoyed spells at League Two Accrington Stanley and FC Blau-Weiss Linz in Austria’s top division.

A loan to an established Championship side was considered the natural next step of progression. However, he was originally targeted by Bristol City to provide cover to first-choice Max O’Leary, who had suffered a serious ankle injury.

Upon O’Leary’s projected return in the autumn, he was expected to resume his spot in goal, only to find it had been permanently snatched from his gloves after a superb start to life at Ashton Gate by Vitek.

The United loanee has shone for his adopted side, quickly establishing himself as a fan favourite with a series of eye-catching saves, and winning the trust of his manager, Gerhard Struber. His ability to deal with the aerial bombardment that characterises England’s second division in conjunction with his comfortability in possession have been even more impressive than his saves.

Indeed, Vitek’s form was so consistent that O’Leary departed his boyhood club in January, while Struber recently stated in an interview that he would “love” the Czech to remain in Bristol next season.

In virtually every way, the loan has been the perfect example of the benefits that arrangement produces, for both clubs and the player in question. United will welcome back a much-improved goalkeeper this summer, while Bristol City found a free upgrade on their existing No. 1 for a season.

But INEOS would be remiss to ship Bayindir and Onana out the door as Vitek re-enters the building in the hope of saving money, even if cutting costs is what Sir Jim Ratcliffe dreams of every night in his silk pyjamas in Monaco.

A 22-year-old goalkeeper being the back-up to a 23-year-old first-choice is a recipe for disaster, with no rationale beyond balancing the books. In an ideal world next season, Lammens would play every single match, while his No. 2 sits on the bench, ready if needed, but hopefully without ever being required to do so.

For a young goalkeeper, a year spent on the sidelines, after a stellar breakout campaign, would be hugely detrimental to their development. Vitek will become a worse player by being in United’s squad than he would remaining with Bristol City.

Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the Czech is ready to handle the pressure of playing for the Red Devils, given the consistency with which far more experienced shot-stoppers have succumbed to it in the past.

Second season syndrome is a real phenomenon in football, particularly for young players. Were Lammens to suffer a significant dip in form next year, the idea of turning to a younger, less experienced option as his replacement is foolish.

If Vitek was to then also perform poorly in this deputy role, as we saw previously with Bayindir and Onana, it could spell the end of two young goalkeepers for the price of one poor decision, given how vital internal confidence is in that position.

A better, almost essential, path is for United to boot Dumb and Dumber out of the club, send Vitek out on another loan to a team in one of Europe’s top five divisions, and sign an experienced back-up to complement, rather than inhibit, Lammens, who can be picked up on the cheap. Easy, right?

Well, yes, because the perfect option is already plying his trade around 70 miles down the road from Old Trafford.

Experience, Experience, Experience

Experience is king for a back-up goalkeeper. And at United, experience of both the Premier League and the weight of the Premier League’s biggest club is essential – which is why Sam Johnstone, currently of Wolverhampton Wanderers, but a former Red Devil, is the perfect target this summer.

The 33-year-old Englishman came through the academy after joining from Euxton Villa as a youngster, spending seven years at the club without making a senior appearance. Instead, he went out on a series of loans across the football pyramid, before establishing himself as West Brom’s first-choice goalkeeper in 2018.

Johnstone would then go on to play for Crystal Palace before a £10 million switch to Molineux in 2024, where he was expected to take over from Jose Sa. However, the Portuguese No. 1’s exit to Saudi Arabia fell through, and Johnstone’s move has not materialised as projected.

But he remains a player with an abundance of experience in English football, with seven years of experience at Old Trafford, and was a part of the Three Lions squad that reached the final of EURO 2020. He stands 6’3, is proficient with the ball at his feet, and is understood to have an excellent attitude in the dressing room, having often been a back-up throughout his career.

The fact that Wolves are destined for relegation at the end of a torrid campaign in the Black Country means he will be available on a cut-price deal this summer as well, offering the strongest point yet for why he makes sense in a window where every penny will count for United.

Final Thoughts

There will be far more exciting articles written by The Peoples Person in the build-up to this summer’s transfer window than one about a back-up goalkeeper, with central midfield set to rightfully dominate United’s agenda.

Nonetheless, a capable No. 2 can be as important as your No. 1, as Arsenal found out in last weekend’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. This argument is only strengthened by the fact that Vitek has the potential to become an excellent goalkeeper, be it at Old Trafford or elsewhere, with a considerable selling fee included if he leaves – but only if he is given the space to grow as a player away from M16.

To rely on Vitek as a senior squad option next season could be the ruin of him, and potentially destabilise Lammens at the same time. Conversely, Johnstone is set in stone as a goalkeeper, and the chance to return to United, even as a back-up, would present an option he would undoubtedly welcome, without the danger of it negatively impacting his career.

It’s a boring deal – but not every transfer on the road to success is a sexy one; sometimes, simply being sensible is all that is needed, even if the social media team will not be best pleased.

Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social