This is, for now, a recommendation rather than a deal in motion. United have been urged to look at Simon, but there is no clear indication of concrete negotiations or an official approach.
Meulensteen’s argument is direct. “There's been a bit of a debate about whether Lammens should be the number one going forward, and I personally would be looking for another goalkeeper,” he says. That is not a dismissal of Lammens, who has broadly impressed and helped United back into the Champions League, but it is a warning that title-chasing teams usually rely on a goalkeeper who wins moments as well as manages them.
Simon, Athletic Club’s first-choice keeper and a regular for Spain, fits the profile Meulensteen is describing. He praised the goalkeeper’s reading of the game, his willingness to come off his line and his composure in possession.
The interesting part here is not just the name, but the standard Meulensteen is setting. He says Lammens is not yet in the bracket of Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar or David de Gea at their best. That is a big benchmark, but it reflects a bigger truth about modern elite football: the top sides need certainty in goal.
Meulensteen even points to Spain’s pecking order as evidence, noting that David Raya has not displaced Simon. “I'd be telling those in charge at United to go and get him,” he adds.
United’s decision-makers must now decide whether this remains outside advice or becomes a real recruitment discussion. If the club do enter the market for a goalkeeper, Simon appears to be the kind of established, high-level option that would immediately raise expectations. For now, though, he is a suggested target, not a confirmed pursuit.