In the post-Sir Alex Ferguson malaise, Manchester United have wasted money like it was going out of fashion. Nearly £2 billion has been spent on recruitment at Old Trafford in this period, with the quality this exorbitant investment has returned turning the hallowed ground into the Theatre of Nightmares. 75 players have been signed, yet only a handful could be classed as ‘good’ deals, let alone excellent ones. But in the midst of this mire of mediocrity stands a midfield maestro who reaches this standard of excellence, Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes arrived from Sporting CP for an initial £47m in 2020, immediately establishing himself as United’s best – and most influential – player. Six years later, with the captain’s armband on his shoulder, the Portuguese talisman has returned 104 goals and 99 assists, becoming the heartbeat of the team and the soul of the club. In a long line of expensive errors, the 31-year-old midfielder has been the most correct decision United have made since Ferguson’s departure. But that begs the question: who has been the best signing since Fernandes? The Belgian Behemoth While the overwhelming consensus from last summer’s cohort of recruits would be that Bryan Mbeumo fits the bill, it is in fact an unassuming Belgian goalkeeper, signed in the same window as the red-hot Cameroon international, who takes the crown. Lammens has proven a revelation as United’s number one, offering a sense of calm and stability in a position which has plagued the team since David De Gea’s exit in 2023 – and even before that if the Spaniard’s form is judged without bias. The 23-year-old goalkeeper, signed from Royal Antwerp for a fee worth an initial £18.1m, only had one year of experience of senior football in the Jupiler Pro League before arriving at Old Trafford. He was initially intended to serve as a back-up to Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, with a view towards claiming the No.1 jersey later down the line. However, football is an unpredictable beast that violently shifts in an instant. The best laid plans fail despite careful planning, while random strokes of luck can win trophies. In the case of Lammens, Lady Luck was on United’s side for once. The Belgian’s signing was quickly followed by Onana signing for Turkish side Trabzonspor on a season-long loan after Ruben Amorim decided he no longer had any use for the 29-year-old Cameroonian. Bayindir took Onana’s place initially, but a series of error-strewn displays by the Türkiye international then led to Lammens seizing his opportunity earlier than expected. The 6’4 shot stopper, whose physical profile lends itself perfectly to the rigours of English football, has not looked back since this point, however. He has claimed the position as effectively and firmly as he comes to claim crosses, demonstrating a well-rounded skillset that imbues the backline with confidence, where his predecessors spread panic like an infection. Monday night’s 1-0 win over Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was a masterclass in how a goalkeeper deals with aerial bombardment, leading Toffees boss David Moyes to describe Lammens as “bloody brilliant”. There have been increasing glimmers of his abilities in possession, after a cautious approach where he was instructed to go direct and play it safe. He is ambipedal in a way few goalkeepers are, comfortably receiving and distributing the ball with either foot. Lammens’ personality is also outstanding, according to well-placed sources at Old Trafford. He is understated and unassuming in equal measure, almost going out of his way to remain a ‘normal guy’. When this approach is compared to the arrogant showmanship of Onana, who actively invited pressure (and mistakes with them), it is like night and day. There are four mains reasons why The Peoples Person is adamant the Zottegem native is United’s best signing since Fernandes, regardless of how many goals Mbeumo finishes the season on. The Hardest Job in Football Legendary United ‘keeper Edwin van der Sar believes being the No.1 at Old Trafford is the “hardest job in football”, such is the scrutiny on the position. Gary Neville corroborates his former teammate’s assessment. It borders on bizarre, therefore, that a 23-year-old – a baby in goalkeeping years – with no experience in a top five league, let alone a big club, has seamlessly adapted to the pressure of the role. Onana arrived for £47.2m from a European heavyweight in Inter Milan, having just played in the Champions League final, and received his footballing education with Ajax. He drowned under the weight of the United shirt. Lammens acts as if it was tailor made for him. Value for Money An initial £18.1m fee, with £3.5m in add-ons, represents one of the bargains of the season for a Premier League club. Perhaps only Sunderland’s capture of their midfield monster, Granit Xhaha, could rival it in terms of value for money. Furthermore, Lammens is understood to be earning around £60,000 a week across his five-year deal, making him one of the cheapest starters at a ‘big six’ club in the Premier League. This means the total outlay for Lammens across his entire contract and transfer is still more than £10m cheaper than the fee paid for Onana alone. Young over Old Another key point in explaining why the Belgian was such a good signing is the alternate target who could be at the Theatre of Dreams in his place, Emiliano Martinez. Amorim was adamant he wanted the Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper signed to bring more experience and a winning mentality to the dressing room. The 33-year-old was desperate to seal the switch, making contact with his compatriot Lisandro Martinez to try and facilitate it. However, INEOS overruled their head coach, deciding an expensive deal for an ageing player on big wages was the type of mistake which would be consigned to United’s past. The Villains were understood to demanding £40m for their No.1, while he would have likely have asked for wages as high as £200,000 a week. Instead, the club trusted goalkeeping scout Tony Coton, who had been actively pushing for Lammens over the past 18 months as he was certain the 23-year-old was one of the best prospects in Europe. When the form of the two shot stoppers is compared this season, within the wider context of how much each deal would have cost, it only strengthens what a good decision this was – and illustrates the value in overruling a manager in favour of advice from the recruitment department. The Potential for More This contrast between a decade of age difference between Lammens and Martinez highlights the final reason why he is the best signing since Fernandes’s switch from Portugal: Lammens is only going to get better. His level is already high, as has been demonstrated throughout an impressive debut campaign. But goalkeepers do not reach their peak until much later than outfield players – and it’s a position where experience is King. The fact that Lammens already plays like a seasoned veteran, with a calm, measured approach where mistakes are instantly forgotten and the fundamentals are always performed well, offers a tantalising glimpse into the future – because the future is >already here. Final Thoughts Mbeumo has been a more headline-grabbing signing due the number of goals he has scored, with the 26-year-old forward fully living up to his billings as one of the league’s most lethal marksmen. But there were a number of options on United’s radar that summer who would have been comparably good recruits, such as Antoine Semenyo. There is a certain expectation a £71m transfer creates as well. There were no other candidate to upgrade the most demanding area of the pitch with the money, or lack thereof, that INEOS had to spend who would have come anywhere close to matching what Lammens has produced. And when you are a peerless player, like Bruno was before him, you get placed in the exclusive category of ‘excellent buys’ at Old Trafford in the post-Fergie era. Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images 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 Darragh Fox Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.
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