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Six months ago, Paul Scholes labelled Senne Lammens "not a top goalkeeper" and insisted Manchester United should have pursued Gianluigi Donnarumma instead.

United were searching for a new shot-stopper towards the end of the 2025 summer transfer window following Altay Bayindir's rocky start to the campaign and Ruben Amorim's choice to drop Andre Onana.

Both Donnarumma and Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez had been linked with a switch to Old Trafford, yet United chose to snap up 23-year-old Lammens in an £18.1million deal from Royal Antwerp.

The move raised plenty of eyebrows at the time, particularly from former United midfielder Scholes, who believed the Red Devils had missed a golden opportunity by failing to land Donnarumma, who signed for Manchester City.

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Scholes told The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: "You buy this lad from Belgium. What's he cost €20m (£18.2m)? I think that tells you everything about him at this point.

"It tells me he's [Lammens] not a top goalkeeper. As soon as that man [Donnarumma] became available, drive to Paris, go and get him, give him whatever he wants."

However, Lammens has well and truly made Scholes eat his words. The Belgian custodian has emerged as one of the most impressive goalkeepers in the Premier League this season.

Lammens has let in just 26 goals across 21 top-flight fixtures in 2025/26 and delivered arguably his finest display yet during the 1-0 triumph at Everton on Monday. He pulled off four saves, four punches, two high claims and remained authoritative throughout as he earned the Premier League Player of the Match for his contribution.

Speaking after the Everton clash, Lammens drew comparisons to former United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who was covering the match for Sky Sports. "[I] just try to stay calm, play my own game," Lammens said.

"I know I have the qualities, I wouldn't be here otherwise. So, [I] just believe in myself, the players around me and my teammates support me really much.

"Now I just keep on building, keep getting that confidence. Like today, getting those wins, feeling important, is really important. And yeah, like you said, if I'm in a comparison with Edwin van der Sar, it's always nice to hear."

Throughout Lammens' 21 Premier League outings, United have suffered defeat on only two occasions. One came in the 1-0 reverse against Everton in November, whilst the other was a 2-1 setback at Aston Villa.

Additionally, Lammens' stops have prevented 5.5 more goals than the average goalkeeper based on the quality of accurate shots he has denied, according to OPTA's expected goals on target (xGOT) conceded model. No Premier League keeper can rival that record since the Belgian's United debut on October 4.

His impact has been astronomical, with some claiming that Lammens is - and could be - United's best and most influential signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Lammens has made the No.1 spot his own and it's clear that he is far above Onana, who is on loan at Trabzonspor, and Bayindir in the pecking order.

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