Senne Lammens has admitted he needs to be mentally strong at Manchester United after Paul Scholes questioned whether the goalkeeper has done enough to prove himself at Old Trafford.
Senne Lammens joined Manchester United from Royal Antwerp for £18.1m and quickly moved to become the club’s first-choice goalkeeper. The Belgian has already experienced plenty of scrutiny, though, particularly after United’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Paul Scholes believes United need an established top-level goalkeeper if they are going to challenge at the highest level. The former midfielder said the “jury is still out” on Lammens and pointed to goalkeepers such as Alisson, David Raya and Peter Schmeichel as examples of what title-winning teams have had behind them.
Lammens ready for the pressure at Old Trafford
Lammens is not letting the criticism change his approach.
“I have not changed character by playing football at Manchester United,” he said, as quoted by The Metro.
“You have to be mentally strong and self-confident in the face of all those people who express their opinions. I can imagine that this is not easy for everyone.”
The 24-year-old also insists he is enjoying the demands that come with playing for United and Belgium.
“I love playing all those Premier League matches. Premier League, Nations League…. That doesn’t feel any different.”
Belgium boss Mark van Bommel has also backed the goalkeeper’s mentality, describing his ability to remain the same regardless of the circumstances as one of his biggest strengths.
The challenge now is simply to keep playing, deal with the noise and give United fans enough performances to make the debate over his position disappear.
