Ex-Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster has praised Manchester United’s Senne Lammens after spotting a key characteristic the shot-stopper possesses.
Manchester United’s deadline day signing, Senne Lammens, has so far in his career at Old Trafford been a breath of fresh air for fans. The 23-year-old has played five times for the Red Devils and hasn’t lost a match since joining the club.
Lammens was signed for just £18m, making him the cheapest signing by Ruben Amorim in the summer. The Belgian shot-stopper has been vital in United’s recent improved form, keeping a clean sheet on his debut for the club in a 2-0 victory against newly promoted Sunderland.
The young goalkeeper is also quick to correct his mistakes. He recovered well from a mistake made early in the match with Spurs, where he let the ball run under his foot and out for a corner. Lammens went on to have another solid performance despite conceding two deflected goals.
Lammens has made some key saves, impressing both fans and pundits alike, although it wasn’t a blockbuster signing similar to Matheus Cunha or Benjamin Sesko, Lammens has played just as important, if not more important role in the side.
Praise has been heaped on the young keeper; and former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster has been especially impressed by a specific characteristic that has made the deadline day signing different from other United goalkeepers.
Foster impressed by Lammens’ ‘seasoned’ confidence
Defensively, United notoriously struggled with crosses into the box and set-pieces, where the ball would struggle to be dealt with by former keepers Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir. This would lead to plenty of unnecessary, game-changing goals conceded.
Lammens’ arrival has significantly improved the defensive effectiveness of Amorim’s side, which in turn has led to some good results and the side shooting up the table, being only four points away from Manchester City, who are in second place.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Foster was impressed by the confidence Lammens shows when dealing with balls put into the box.
“He’s got this confidence about him. He’s coming out for balls into the box, crosses, where I’m thinking – normally you’re talking about seasoned Premier League goalkeepers that do this kind of stuff,” Foster said.
The ex-United man also commented on the Belgian’s potential, Foster explained: “It still remains to be seen whether he’s got the X-factors, those little bits that make a good goalie a great goalie.
“If you look at some of the best goalies in the world at the moment, your Alisson or your Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martinez, they’ve got lots of little X-factors that make them world-class.
“Whether Lammens has got that in his game remains to be seen, but it’s a fantastic start.”
Could Lammens be United’s long-term goalkeeper?
It is no secret that Onana did not live up to fans’ expectations and had a tough end to his career at Old Trafford before being shipped out on loan to Turkey. However, Lammens has brought a sense of confidence to fans through his own confident style of goalkeeping.
Similar to legendary United shot-stopper David de Gea, Lammens joins the club in his early twenties, but unlike the Spaniard, he has hit the ground running. Replacing Van Der Sar is obviously a harder job than replacing Onana, but take nothing away from Lammens’ key performances that have relieved Amorim of some pressure through recent good results.
Whilst Onana’s confidence was extremely low before he left Manchester, Lammens will be the complete opposite and look to continue to provide the defence with a reliable shot-stopper between the sticks.
Although he is not the finished article and will greatly benefit from a full season of Premier League football, Senne Lammens looks to have bags of potential and could easily become United’s long-term goalkeeper.
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