Former Manchester United defender has explained three traits that Senne Lammens must have to be successful between the sticks at Old Trafford.
With the arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United have completely reshaped their attack.
The overhaul was necessary after Ruben Amorim’s side struggled for goals last season, and both Cunha and Mbeumo already look like significant upgrades on what the team previously had up front.
Defensively, the situation has been similarly disappointing, with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir enduring difficulties between the sticks.
On deadline day, United moved to address the issue by bringing in Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, a player they had been tracking for several months.
Jones explains three traits Lammens must have to be successful at United
Lammens is a relatively unknown talent and fans are unsure whether he is good enough to take on the burden of being United’s first-choice goalkeeper.
In order to become successful in the Premier League, the Belgian shot-stopper will need to have some specific traits and attributes.
“To be the number one at United you need to have rhino skin,” ex-United defender Phil Jones told BBC Sports this week.
“The Manchester United shirt is a heavy one to wear. What is absolutely paramount is that the goalkeeper is calm and can deal with certain situations. He needs to be commanding and not be flapping at crosses.
“If a goalkeeper makes a mistake, it becomes infectious very quickly and spreads through the defensive unit. If a goalkeeper made a mistake, it was almost like you couldn’t get it out of your system until the next game.”
Lammens offers calmness to defence
It remains to be seen whether Lammens will be commanding enough at United, and if he has the ‘rhino skin’ Jones mentioned.
But while we haven’t seen much of the goalkeeper, he seems like he will be a calming presence in goal for the Reds. He has explained how it is one of his best attributes.
Onana’s troubles at Old Trafford haven’t simply been major errors, but he has failed to provide the calmness and assurance needed behind the defensive line. That invites pressure and mistakes to come into the team.
Lammens will hopefully be an upgrade in that sense, but as Jones says, he will need to show a lot more if he wants to thrive at United.
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