Thirteen appearances, 23 goals conceded, one clean sheet. That is Senne Lammens’ 2026/27 season so far, and according to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Manchester United’s recruitment team have already identified the keeper they would like to bring in to replace him.

The target is Atalanta’s Marco Carnesecchi, reported on 7 November to be on United’s radar as early as the January window. It is a striking shift. Lammens arrived at Old Trafford in a £18.1m deal from Royal Antwerp in September 2025 and was named the inaugural Premier League Transfer of the Season in May after 32 league appearances, averaging 2.5 saves a game for a side that lost only four matches with him in goal.

This autumn the picture has flipped. The only clean sheet Lammens has kept all season came against Sabah in a 4-0 Champions League win at Old Trafford on 10 September. In the Premier League, United sit 17th.

Carnesecchi: 26, contracted to 2030

Carnesecchi, 26, extended his Atalanta contract through to 2030 with an option for a further year earlier this year, on a deal worth around €3m annually. He was the first-choice goalkeeper in Atalanta’s Europa League-winning squad of 2023-24 and has long been rated as one of Serie A’s most coveted shot-stoppers.

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Atalanta are not keen sellers. The Bergamo club are unlikely to entertain a modest January bid for a player they have just locked down long term, and selling a settled first-choice keeper mid-season rarely features in their playbook. Any approach would need to clear a high bar before it reaches negotiation.

There is also a credibility question about how much of an upgrade Carnesecchi would represent right now. His own numbers this season, around 25 goals conceded in 15 appearances, are not dramatically different from Lammens’, even if the surrounding defences are not strictly comparable.

A goalkeeper shortlist under a manager under pressure

The report lands at an uncomfortable moment for Michael Carrick. United’s head coach survived a crisis meeting after back-to-back defeats to Como and Bournemouth, only to then lose 2-0 at home to Chelsea. INEOS have been actively monitoring potential successors, with Julian Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Antonio Conte all discussed inside the building.

Carrick remains in post up to the international break, but a recruitment list compiled in that climate carries an obvious caveat: whoever sits in the Old Trafford dugout in January may inherit a shortlist, not write it.

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United’s next Premier League fixture is at home to Aston Villa on 8 November.

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