Jason Wilcox has addressed rumours surrounding Manchester United’s almost signing of a Premier League star who was convinced he was joining Rúben Amorim.
Manchester United’s summer transfer window saw the club make a significant investment in their attack, with Rúben Amorim determined to increase his side’s goal threat.
In total, around £200 million including add-ons was spent to secure Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, and Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig.
On deadline day, United also moved to sign Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp in a deal worth £18 million.
Since arriving, the 23-year-old has featured four times for the Reds, winning three and drawing one, earning widespread praise from both teammates and former players alike.
United were never really in for Martínez
Despite Lammens being the ultimate arrival in goal, rumours swirled surrounding the possibility that United were in for other goalkeepers too, namely Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez.
It even got to the point where the 33-year-old himself told friends he was going to join United right up until Lammens was secured instead on deadline day.
However, United’s director of Football, Jason Wilcox, has confirmed on United’s newest Inside Carrington podcast that Martínez was never a serious option as the club were always looking for a goalkeeper who had high potential, and that the 23-year-old had been on their radar for a year.
“Senne, we were always looking at goalkeepers that have got huge potential,” Wilcox explained. “Senne was available and we decided to move, but it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction.
“Tony Coton [United goalkeeper scout] was putting Senne on my radar 12 months ago, and he was relentless with it. This guy is going to be a top signing for us, and he has started well, but he has got to keep it going. He is very reflective, and he is very professional with his approach.”
Lammens will grow as United do
Early on in his United career, Lammens has already shown himself to be a composed and commanding goalkeeper for his young age in such a highly scrutinised position. However, improvement will be needed over time.
Amorim’s squad is a growing one, featuring senior players such as Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro alongside major signings like Cunha and Mbeumo, as well as young talents like Šeško and Kobbie Mainoo. The base is now well established, setting the squad up to kick on from here.
Continuing on the podcast, Wilcox said, “We’ve just got to continue to build the spirit, continue to build on Ruben’s idea. Ruben’s got a very clear idea. It’s a lot more flexible, the idea, than what people give it credit for.
“We’ve got to start with the end in mind and understand that, you know, the game model, how Manchester United are, is really important, and we have to pull the jigsaw pieces together. And putting the jigsaw pieces together, we would love to have all the pieces in place, where we can see a very, very clear picture.
“But whilst we’re building, and whilst we’re building the picture, it’s really important. It’s even more difficult when you lose some football matches, because people start questioning things.
“But we’re really clear, myself and Ruben, Omar [Berrada, CEO], the ownership, we’re really clear on the direction of travel. And this is, this is really important.”
As Wilcox mentioned, United want to continue building on the foundations that are being put in place. Having young stars like Lammens in the squad while this happens will enable the side to improve and grow over time.
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