Manchester United were quoted £50m for Gianluigi Donnarumma before walking away from the move. Manchester City later signed the same goalkeeper for around £26m, which makes the original call look expensive in hindsight, but Senne Lammens' early start gives United something concrete to point to in their own defence.
Lammens' early case at Old Trafford
Lammens has played one Premier League game, and the rating attached to that outing was 6.6. He also came through a clean-sheet win at Brighton, the kind of start that does not settle the Donnarumma argument on its own, but does stop United's recruitment team from looking reckless.
Michael Carrick has been public about what he wants from his goalkeeper. Speaking to express.co.uk, he said: "For me, he's a goalkeeper to be reliable, be trustworthy. Instead of creating chaos, you want him to take the chaos away and calm things down. I think Senne is that. He's quite quiet at times and unassuming, but he's got a real steel."
Carrick added: "How he's gone about it at the moment is with calmness, with composure. I think it does help those in front of him an awful lot."
That is the part United will lean on. They did not go into the market for Donnarumma at the quoted price, but they have already trusted Lammens in the league, and his early work has been steady enough to keep the debate open.
Why the price swing still matters
The price change is still the most striking part of this story. United were asked for £50m, City later took Donnarumma for around £26m, and PSG had him in the final 12 months of his contract when the deal moved on.
PSG's decision to bring in Lucas Chevalier to replace him made the exit possible. Donnarumma then arrived at City and, in his debut league campaign there, kept 15 clean sheets in 34 league appearances and conceded 29 goals.
That is a strong return and it makes United's missed chance look sharper than it did at the time. Even so, the club's own evidence is not trivial: Lammens has already been used once in the Premier League, and the Brighton result gave the position some early stability.
The cleanest read is not that United were right or wrong in isolation. It is that they said no at one price, City got him at another, and United now have a goalkeeper whose first steps have at least made the decision defensible.
FAQ
Was Manchester United wrong to pass on Gianluigi Donnarumma at £50m?
United were quoted £50m for Gianluigi Donnarumma before walking away, and Manchester City later signed him for around £26m. But Senne Lammens has given United a live counterargument, with a solid 6.6 Premier League rating in his lone league appearance and a clean-sheet win at Brighton.
Why does Senne Lammens change the Donnarumma debate?
Lammens has already played one Premier League match and kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 win at Brighton. Michael Carrick described him as reliable and calm, saying he wants a goalkeeper who takes chaos away rather than creates it.
How did Manchester City end up signing Donnarumma for less money?
The move came after PSG had Donnarumma in the final 12 months of his contract and Luis Enrique signed Lucas Chevalier to replace him. City then took him for around £26m, well below the £50m United were quoted.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
