Manchester United missed out on M. Fernandes but signed another Championship newcomer! Sir Jim continues the youth development lottery and will loan him out for experience.

Manchester United refused to meet West Ham United's asking price, thereby losing the chance to sign Matheus Fernandes. The £85 million transfer fee paid by Tottenham will make M. Fernandes set a new record for the highest outgoing transfer from the Championship, surpassing his former Southampton teammate Lavia. Meanwhile, United also completed a signing from the Championship, acquiring Swansea goalkeeper Kit Margetson.

The 19-year-old Margetson is a Wales U19 international goalkeeper from a goalkeeping family. His father, Martin Margetson, also played for Swansea and the Welsh national team and served as a goalkeeping coach. Young Margetson was loaned by Swansea last season to Cymru Premier side Connah's Quay Nomads, and after that loan ended, he joined Manchester United.

It is reported that United's signing of Margetson was recommended by goalkeeping scout Tony Coton, who watched Cymru Premier matches last season, scouted Margetson, and then advised the club to bring him in. Apart from United, it is understood that other Premier League clubs such as Brighton, Crystal Palace, and Liverpool were also keen on Margetson, but he chose the Red Devils.

Coton was formerly Sir Alex Ferguson's goalkeeping coach but had to end his coaching career due to injury. He then transitioned into scouting and last year recommended the current starting goalkeeper, Sena Lammens, to the club. As Lammens' discoverer, Coton scouted the 23-year-old Belgian for six years!

"I noticed him in 2019 at Club Brugge," Coton recalled. "I watched him play for Belgium U17 but felt the time wasn't right. He was still raw and not ready to join United, so I continued monitoring his development and tracking his progress. I remember when I was chief scout at Aston Villa, someone recommended him. Later I returned to United and focused more on him, witnessing his progress at Brugge. He then moved to Antwerp, and I watched him for over a year, countless matches."

Coton stated that Lammens' basic goalkeeping skills satisfied him. "I saw that he loves protecting the goal and defending it. When opponents scored, he would be very sad, unhappy about conceding," Coton said. "For his age, he has good physical attributes and great potential. Moreover, the most important thing for a goalkeeper is shot-stopping, even though the trend of goalkeeper distribution later became popular, forcing keepers to get more involved in playing out from the back."

Before signing Lammens for £18 million, Coton met with him and became even more certain he had found the right player. "When we were about to sign him, obviously, we had completed all the due diligence and so on," Coton said. "We explained why it was the right time to sign him, as he had already attracted interest from many European clubs. I wanted to see his focus firsthand—whether his eyes would wander when I spoke, whether he was distracted. He was fully concentrated, staring intently at me. I confirmed my opinion, and I had also seen his concentration in games."

Coton said he assured United that Lammens could join the squad directly. "When he first arrived, they asked me if he could directly join the team. I said yes immediately. Even though I recommended him, I had to say that, but it was also the truth. In the end, after four games, his performances against Sunderland and Liverpool amazed everyone. I wasn't surprised; as I said, I mainly focus on players' character. He is very similar to his father—down-to-earth, unlike other players' fathers who are too flashy."

Lammens will remain United's number one next season, although he was only Belgium's backup goalkeeper at the World Cup. "He has all the necessary conditions for success, and not only that, as we have seen, he also has the mental strength to handle everything," Coton said. "I don't want to compare him to anyone. He is Lammens, himself. As long as he continues to work hard like now and takes care of the small details, he can become one of the world's top players. I believe he can do it."

Unlike Lammens, the new goalkeeper Margetson recommended by Coton is not yet ready for United's first team. He is the latest addition to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's beloved youth development "lottery" and is expected to be loaned this summer to a National League (fifth tier) club for development.

Manchester United likely need to sign a new first-team goalkeeper to serve as Lammens' backup. André Onana has been confirmed to be loaned again to Trabzonspor in the Turkish Süper Lig, Altay Bayındır will also leave after the World Cup, and 22-year-old academy goalkeeper Radek Vítek has also decided to transfer to seek a starting role.

Manchester United are interested in Scotland's World Cup starting goalkeeper Angus Gunn, Wolves' former Red Devils academy product Sam Johnstone, and Wales international Karl Darlow. Gunn and Darlow are both free agents, while Johnstone would require a transfer fee.