Manchester United

A new episode of The Devils' Advocate is now available to listen to or download on BBC Sounds.

Gaz Drinkwater is joined by The Stretford Paddock's Jay Motty to discuss Manchester United's goalkeeping situation and the recruitment of 23-year-old goalkeeper Senne Lammens on deadline day.

United's first game after the international break is a trip to Etihad Stadium for the Manchester derby against City.

"It was obvious we needed another option because neither Andre Onana or Altay Bayindir have covered themselves in glory," said Motty.

"I know there's a lot of pressure on a young goalkeeper coming in but hopefully he can rise to it because we knew we had to do something.

"I get that Emi Martinez has won a World Cup, but in the Premier League he can be erratic. Let's not ignore his faults.

"With Lammens we don't know if he's going to be good enough for Manchester United, but there's every reason to think he's got a chance of that.

"United have done it before when it comes to buying experienced goalkeeper and it hasn't worked out. I do get why United have gone for a younger option.

"Once you put those gloves on and step up at Old Trafford it is a completely different world and we'll only find out if he's up to it when he makes his debut.

"It might be a baptism of fire if Lammens starts at the Etihad."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Manchester United looked to re-sign Danny Welbeck from Brighton for the second year running this summer, but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe did not sanction a move for the 35-year-old former England forward. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Aston Villa had agreed a deal worth more than United's offer of £18.1m to sign Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but the 23-year-old Belgian chose Old Trafford. (Mail - subscription required), external

Meanwhile, United are still open to selling goalkeeper Andre Onana in the coming days, with transfer windows in Turkey and Saudi Arabia among those still open. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone was a guest on the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast from BBC Sounds.

He debated the club's transfer business and was asked if Ruben Amorim and Man Utd got what they wanted from the summer window.

Simon said: "No. I don't. They've targeted attacking players and they knew after that, it was how much could they raise.

"There's some culpability for the fact they couldn't get these deals done until late in the window. Garnacho in particular. It's a weird one.

"I think they got as much as they could get for him, but he's worth more than that. The way they had gone about that meant that his value went down.

"Chelsea played the situation. They waited. They knew that Garnacho only wanted to go to one club. They've got their man for far less than you'd normally expect.

"They would have hoped to have done business earlier and that would have created a situation where they could have maybe addressed the goalkeeping situation or the central midfield situation in a calmer way. They haven't been able to do that."

Simon was speaking on the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate by BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Manchester United's decision to let Rasmus Hojlund leave.

Here are some of your comments:

Will: An absolute mistake. He's a young player with so much potential and he had two experienced Premier League players who could have played with him, providing him consistent service. He could have developed brilliantly into the United system. I keep everything crossed that he comes back to United after the loan is done.

John: I'm fairly confident Rasmus will shine now the weight of playing for United is lifted. Sad to see him go! Wishing him all the best.

Paul: Should have kept him for cover. He never got the service to have a chance to shine. Would have liked to see him getting the opportunity without greedy Garnacho and the rest.

Manchester United have made "an educated decision" by signing 23-year-old goalkeeper Senne Lammens, says former Premier League keeper Joe Hart.

The 6ft 4in stopper has 93 appearances to his name, only 52 of which have come in the Belgian Pro League, but is hoped to solve the issues between the sticks at Old Trafford.

Prior to the deadline day signing, United were linked with Aston Villa's number one and World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez but they opted to sign Lammens.

"Martinez would have been a brilliant signing but they had to make an educated decision and this is what they have gone with," said Hart on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "I've not seen him play, so I cannot comment on him but I believe that a lot of teams have been tracking him.

"Hopefully he is the right person for Manchester United, but does he just walk in and plug that gap of complete uncertainty in goal at the club?"

"It is a big ask," added Chris Sutton. "It is not just about being a good goalkeeper because it is about personality and character to be able to handle playing in front of over 70,000 people at home games.

"There is an expectation and the reality is that United have struggled in recent seasons, so it is not an easy job to go into that environment."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United Under-21 boss Travis Binnion is urging caution around young forward Shea Lacey.

The 18-year-old England youth international has been blighted by injuries which have prevented him making the progress many expected.

He came on as a substitute in Sunday's Premier League 2 encounter with Manchester City at Leigh and set up Amir Ibragimov for the winner in a 2-1 victory.

"Everybody in the world knows about Shea Lacey," said Binnion.

"He needs to be patient with himself and everyone else needs to be patient with him because there is still loads to come tactically, physically and mentally.

"We are still managing him physically. If he can stay on the pitch and stay training, everyone thinks he could be a top player."

Aston Villa didn't receive a bid from Manchester United for Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez despite the 32-year-old being heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford. (Sky Sports), external

United decided against a move for Martinez because of his age and wages in the region of £200,000 a week. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp.

The 23-year old made 64 appearances for Antwerp, winning the Belgian Super Cup in 2023 and earning his first call-up to the Belgium national team in March.

"I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United - it is a real dream come true." Lammens said.

"You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years.

"I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff. This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives."

Aston Villa have completed a season-long loan deal for Manchester United's Jadon Sancho.

The forward signed for United for £73m in 2021 but has spent much of the past 18 months on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea.

Now 25, Sancho has 12 goals in 89 Premier League appearances.

Sheffield Wednesday have signed defender Harry Amass on loan from Manchester United until January.

Amass made his Premier League debut on his 18th birthday in March and has gone on to make seven senior appearances for the Premier League side.

The teenager has been training with England's under-19 squad ahead of games against Ukraine, Spain and Netherlands this month and he will join the Owls following the international break.

Amass began his career at Watford before joining the Red Devils in 2023.

Image source, Getty Images

Ex-England player Stephen Warnock believes the arrivals at Manchester United this summer go some way to mitigating the losses incurred on big-money signings Rasmus Hojlund and Antony.

The forward duo departed United on deadline day after the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo during the summer revamped Ruben Amorim's attack.

Nevertheless, United have made significant losses on two players who arrived for huge figures in previous summers.

"With the deals for Antony and Hojlund you can only look at the money they've lost on them," Warnock told BBC Sport's Transfer Deadline Day Special.

"But then look at the players that they've bought in. I like Mbeumo - I think he's a good player.

"On a whole it's looking OK for United."

Rasmus Hojlund has completed a loan move to Serie A champions Napoli for the 2025-26 season.

United have agreed a deal that would see the Denmark international make the move a permanent £38m transfer if certain conditions are met, including the Italian giants qualifying for the Champions League.

Last month, Hojlund expressed a strong desire to remain at United but he has since been left out of all four competitive games so far this season.

Hojlund scored four league goals for United last season and has been pushed down the pecking order by summer signings Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

What do you make of the move?

Should United have kept hold of him?

Or are they right to cut their losses at this stage?

Tell us here

Antony has completed a permanent move to La Liga side Real Betis.

The 25-year-old spent the second half of last season loan at Betis, scoring nine goals in 26 appearances in all competitions.

Manchester United youngster Ethan Ennis has completed a season-long loan move to Fleetwood Town in League Two.

Ennis was among the players to be left out of United's 2-1 Premier League 2 victory over Manchester City at Leigh as he secures a move away from Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old has been in excellent form so far this season, with Plymouth Argyle among the other clubs to have enquired about him.

He played 17 times on loan for Doncaster Rovers last season.

Watch Total Sport's transfer deadline day special for Manchester clubs, focusing on the business done by City and United, plus the region's EFL sides.

The show offered all the latest updates and analysis for your team's transfer business.

Watch back here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport Journalist

It is easy to see why Manchester United opted to sign Senne Lammens on pure data alone.

The 23-year-old excelled in his first full top-flight season as Antwerp qualified for the Uefa Conference League and both his save percentage and passing accuracy were higher than that of Andre Onana in 2024-25.

His underlying numbers are even more impressive and suggest that the Belgian can make an instant impact at Old Trafford during this campaign.

Lammens made 173 saves last season – 20 more than any other goalkeeper in Europe's top 10 leagues, while no player across those divisions saved more penalties than his four.

But his goals prevented total of 18.4 is outrageous. Opta calculate this number by subtracting expected goals on target from goals conceded (excluding own goals), meaning Lammens has kept out almost 19 more goals than we would expect from an average goalkeeper. Put simply, he's a serious shot stopper.

For context, Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson was the Premier League's most efficient last season for goals prevented with a tally of 4.4, while James Trafford kept a record equalling 29 Championship clean sheets at Burnley and his total was 12.85.

Image source, Getty Images

Alejandro Garnacho says he is "proud of what he achieved" during his time at Manchester United after joining Chelsea.

The 21 year-old made 144 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 26 goals and providing a further 22 assists.

"After an unforgettable five years, this special chapter in my life now comes to a close," Garnacho said on Instagram. "We have created moments that will stay with me forever, and I'm very grateful for this.

"To the coaches, staff, and my team-mates, thank you for believing in me. Every time I wore the badge, I gave everything I had.

"I leave proud of what we achieved together and excited for what's to come. Wishing the club nothing but success for the future, while I look forward to giving my all in the next chapter of my career."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

I am not convinced Manchester United's goalkeeping situation is quite sorted out just yet.

While United sources have previously said it was not inconceivable they could add a fourth experienced keeper to Ruben Amorim's squad with no-one leaving, it doesn't fit with the head coach's stated desire to have a small squad.

Yes, Andre Onana may leave for the Africa Cup of Nations, but that is just for a matter of weeks - and if he isn't playing, how realistic is it the former Inter Milan man gets picked anyway?

Altay Bayindir has played in all three Premier League games this season but hasn't convinced.

Tom Heaton signed a new contract in the summer and is very much viewed as a back-up.

No-one knows at this stage who will be in goal for United's trip to City for the first Manchester derby of the season on 14 September.