Reading too much into one albeit statement performance would be folly, although there were telling signs in Manchester United’s richly deserved 2-1 win away at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
In many ways, that victory marked a tale of the new signings, with there having been deeply different fortunes on either side.
In the case of Liverpool, Alexander Isak’s wait for a first Premier League goal for his new side continued, while fellow marquee arrival Florian Wirtz wasn’t even in the starting lineup.
At full-back, Miloz Kerkez was given a torrid time by the dynamic duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, with stand-in stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili also unable to prevent the visitors’ opener.
That might be a cynical view, although it’s difficult to ignore the contrast to Ruben Amorim’s new men, with Mbeumo opening the scoring inside 63 seconds, while Matheus Cunha also led the line impressively alongside him.
Although £74 striker Benjamin Sesko was a late arrival into the fray from the bench, goalkeeper Senne Lammens put in another assured performance, with the early signs suggesting that INEOS have finally worked their magic in the market.
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There already looks to be a stark difference in quality between those acquired this summer and those brought in during the first window under the new regime a year ago, with the summer of 2024 having been particularly mixed on reflection.
While Matthijs de Ligt is an early contender for Player of the Season this time around – with Leny Yoro also likely to be a mainstay for the long-term at Old Trafford – both Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte have slipped into the periphery under Amorim.
With just seven goals in 53 games for the club to date, Zirkzee – who has made just three league appearances in 2025/26 – looks destined to depart in 2026, while Ugarte’s diminishing status was evident in his role as an unused substitute in the Europa League final.
Rounding off that summer spree was £13m man, Noussair Mazraoui, a deal that still represents an undoubted bargain, even if the Moroccan international has been hampered by injury this season.
Heading into January then, the £1m dished out for Arsenal’s Ayden Heaven still appears another piece of astute business, even if the 19-year-old hasn’t featured since Grimsby, although the jury is out on the £30m signing of Patrick Dorgu, with the left-footer even ousted by Diogo Dalot on the left flank in recent outings.
Rank
Player
1.
Bryan Mbeumo
2.
Matthijs de Ligt
3.
Noussair Mazraoui
4.
Matheus Cunha
5.
Leny Yoro
6.
Senne Lammens
7.
Benjamin Sesko
8.
Ayden Heaven
9.
Joshua Zirkzee
10.
Patrick Dorgu
11.
Manuel Ugarte
12.
Diego Leon*
Having looked abroad last summer, before turning to youth in the winter, the approach was far more sensible this time around, snapping up two Premier League-proven figures in Cunha and Mbeumo, after the pair netted 35 top-flight goals between them last term.
Sesko, at 22, is an expensive gamble, although with two goals in two games ahead of the Anfield trip, the early signs are promising, while, as for Lammens, he could quietly prove to be the pick of the bunch.
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Not every player has to arrive and explode instantly, with it perhaps more important not to make a bad first impression, than necessarily making a wholly positive, standout one.
Indeed, Lammens’ predecessor, Andre Onana, never truly recovered from his shaky showings from the off, having memorably been lobbed against Lens in pre-season in July 2023, left tangled in his own net on what was the Cameroonian’s first Old Trafford outing.
The ex-Inter man then escaped punishment for a last-gasp foul against Wolverhampton Wanderers on his competitive debut, while his third league appearance witnessed that comical dive to try and keep out Taiwo Awoniyi’s early strike. The list goes on…
To make matters worse, his deputy – Altay Bayindir – has fared little better over the last two years or so, producing a desperately tame punch to tee up Riccardo Calafiori’s decisive goal on the opening weekend this season.
The nervousness of both men was no good to those ahead of them, or those watching on from the stands, with both players and supporters alike having readily welcomed the quiet calm that Lammens has brought to the table so far.
A clean sheet on debut against Sunderland saw the young Belgian only forced into making three saves, although they were all decisive, having been met with audible cheers when plucking the ball out of the sky late in the first half.
There is a willingness for the 23-year-old to succeed, after such turmoil in United’s goalkeeping department in recent years, with Lammens’ outing again another reason for positivity.
Smart enough not to attempt to play out from the back needlessly – with 45 of his 46 passes having gone long – the ex-Royal Antwerp man did what was needed when called upon too, keeping out Isak’s strike from the angle in the first-half.
Having also narrowed the angle for Mo Salah’s wayward, near-post attempt – while plucking another ball from the air at one stage – United’s number 31 did everything that was asked of him.
There were no theatrics, no unnecessary Cruyff turns or errant passes. The new man – as a goalkeeper largely should do – almost went unnoticed for his all-round display.
It is of course far too soon to be popping any corks in celebration at such a signing, but for a fee of just £18m, the INEOS hierarchy might yet have pulled off another transfer bargain.
As journalist Steven Railston has relayed, one of Lammens’ former coaches, Hayk Milkon, believes that he can “become the best in the world” in his position, having already received the approval of his legendary compatriot, Thibaut Courtois.
Having been forced to witness the hapless chaos of Onana, Bayindir and even late-stage David De Gea in recent years, United could well do with a calming presence in the sticks again.
Hopefully, Lammens can be just that in the years to come.
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