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Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has already made a strong impression on a key member of Ruben Amorim’s leadership team during his first week of training at Carrington.
The New Kid on the Block
Lammens, 23, was signed on September 1 after a deal worth an initial £18.1 million was struck with Royal Antwerp after protracted negotiations.
Entering into the summer window United had not planned to sign a new goalkeeper with the bulk of the budget directed towards the misfiring forward line.
But the unsteady performances of both Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir at the beginning of the new campaign led the club to pivot and make a late push to sign Lammens – a long-term target admired by the recruitment department – in the dying hours of deadline day.
The Belgian’s arrival, coupled with Ruben Amorim making clear his preference for Bayindir, led Onana to push for his own move, signing for Turkish side Trabzonspor on a season-long loan.
Bayindir has started each of United’s opening four Premier League fixtures, including the Manchester Derby on the weekend. But the 27-year-old shot stopper has cut an unsteady figure with multiple mistakes doing little to justify his coach’s faith in him.
With a pivotal clash against Chelsea at Old Trafford this weekend, the calls for Lammens to start are growing – and according to veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton, the Belgium U-21 international has been “very impressive” so far.
An Impressive Impression
Speaking on the Training Ground Guru podcast (as relayed by TEAMtalk), Heaton states Lammens seems “like a really good lad.”
“He’s calm, but a strong personality. His goalkeeping fundamentals are very impressive and I think I said that to him after a couple of days training!
“Twenty-three years old coming into Manchester United, first few days training and he’s been very impressive so far. I really like his goalkeeping fundamentals.”
Goalkeeping fundamentals have been on short supply for United in recent years. Andre Onana’s ‘style’ is erratic to put it kindly, while Bayindir is short on quality and confidence.
If anything, 39-year-old Heaton – part of Amorim’s six-man leadership team in the dressing room – is likely to be the club’s most sound goalkeeper, despite not having started a competitive match in over two and half years.
While Lammens is certainly inexperienced, the young shot stopper should have little trouble claiming the number one shirt ahead of Bayindir as he he has “dazzled” the other goalkeeper at Old Trafford with only a few training sessions.
Feature image Octavio Passos via Getty Images
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