- Senne Lammens joined Man Utd last summer
- Belgian goalkeeper has been outstanding
- Past and present Reds in awe
When Manchester United signed Senne Lammens, the expectation was that he’d be a dependable replacement for Andre Onana. An up-and-coming Belgian goalkeeper with no real elite-level experience, some even suggested he’d be battling Altay Bayindir for the number one jersey.
Lammens arrived at Old Trafford from Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp for £18.5m. He’d been earning rave reviews in Belgium but there were concerns regarding his ability to handle the pressure at the biggest football club in English football.
The 23-year-old hasn’t just proven his doubters wrong; he has been one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League. His calm and quiet demeanour is exactly what the Reds’ defence needed after the chaos of Onana.
Saluting Senne
Lammens will be making his 32nd appearance of the season when United face Nottingham Forest on Sunday. He has thus far kept seven clean sheets, including in wins over Manchester City (2-0) and Everton (1-0).
The magnitude of a move to the Theatre of Dreams has got the better of many signings over the years. The Belgian has made it look easy, pulling off world-class saves and commanding his area with clear communication and fearlessness.
While Bruno Fernandes is quite rightly the favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year award, there should also be recognition for Lammens. He’s been just as crucial in helping Michael Carrick guide the club back where it belongs and into UEFA Champions League competition next season.
This time last season, United were struggling down in the bottom half of the table. Much of that was down to their defensive frailties, more specifically, either Onana or Bayindir taking to between the sticks.
Every time the opposition came towards their goal, you felt they’d either concede or make an error. Aside from one blunder in a 3-2 win to Liverpool, there has been nothing about Lammens that has left fans feeling anxious.
Love For Lammens
It’s not just the Old Trafford faithful who have sung Lammens’ praises. His teammate Diogo Dalot highlighted his characteristics earlier this season while speaking to Sky Sports:
“Straight away, we could see the type of profile that he is as a person, which helps. For you to be a Manchester United goalkeeper you need to be really balanced, because you can go high really quick and you can get low really quick. But you could see he’s a really chilled person and he doesn’t get carried away.”
Even Sir Alex Ferguson has been talking up the Belgian:
“The goalkeeper has been outstanding, he’s only played three or four games and he’s looking really good.”
Carrick, who played with Edwin van der Sar, even sees some of the legendary Dutch goalkeeper in his current number one:
“I’ve got to be careful what I say. I don’t want to be comparing them because I don’t think it’s fair to Senne. But there’s definitely similarities.”
Lammens is still at the very start of his career and the sky is the limit for the Zottegem-born shot-stopper. Perhaps replacing Thibaut Courtois as Belgium’s number one will be the next step.
