Rio Ferdinand has explained exactly what will be going through the minds of Manchester United players after Senne Lammens made his debut for the club.
Senne Lammens finally made his Manchester United debut as Rúben Amorim’s side comfortably saw off Sunderland with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
Goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Šeško, along with a clean sheet for Lammens, capped off an ideal afternoon for the Reds. The Belgian earned widespread praise for his assured and composed performance between the posts.
The 23-year-old was commanding in his area, dealt confidently with high balls, and made several sharp saves to deny Régis Le Bris’ side.
There was a brief moment of concern when a swirling, wind-affected ball caused confusion between him and Bruno Fernandes, but the chance came to nothing—and Lammens remained flawless for the rest of the match.
United players will be delighted with Lammens
Lammens’ quality debut display came as a massive relief to United fans, who had watched various goalkeepers, such as André Onana and Altay Bayındır, make consistent mistakes over the last two seasons.
Additionally, former United defender Rio Ferdinand has explained that he feels those in the dressing room will share a similar sentiment, noting that the side’s back line will gain considerable confidence from watching the 23-year-old look so commanding, “very secure,” and at home in the net.
“That must instil so much confidence in the back line, and then it spreads through the team,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.”
You’ve got to bear in mind that whether you supported the goalkeepers that were there before or not, most games you were coming out of it with a question mark — an incident that happened that was being talked about on our show or loads of other different shows, right?
“If they’re talking about it on our show, imagine what they’re thinking inside the dressing room when they’re thinking about the goalkeeper.
“So, for a goalkeeper to come out — you know that feeling when the ball’s coming into the box, they’re a big, aggressive team, and the keeper comes out and claims it — that feeling of looking down at him on the floor as he’s getting back up and going, ‘You know what, that’s my keeper, man. That’s my GK.’
“Do you know what I mean? I don’t think they’ve been able to say that for a while because there have been so many different mistakes and questionable decision-making, but he just looked very, very secure.”
Coutois’ Lammens prediction was correct
Speaking further, Ferdinand harked back to Lammens’ initial signing and a voice note he received from Belgium and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois about the youngster, stating that what the 23-year-old showed was precisely as described.
“And I go back — Courtois left me a voice note a few weeks ago when we made the decision to sign him, and a lot of it was about a stable, steady keeper. Huge talent, great, massive potential,” Ferdinand continued.
“And he looked exactly like what Courtois said in that voice note in his first game for Manchester United. And by the way, Manchester United’s goalkeeper position has been a place that’s been a graveyard for many players.”
While Lammens’ debut was a fantastic one to watch and a provider of much relief for those at Old Trafford, his next test will be much, much harder. United are due to face Liverpool at Anfield in just under two weeks, and reports state that the Belgian is to continue in goal.
Lammens looked unfazed with the pressure of playing in the Premier League while at Old Trafford, but heading to Anfield during an uncertain period where the current league title holders are looking for results is a whole different ball game, and will certainly put the new United fan-favourite to the test.
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