By the summer of 2025, it had become clear that Manchester United needed to sort out their goalkeeping department if they were to have any real chance of competing.
Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir had both shown themselves to be unreliable, with inconsistent displays between the posts.
Edwin van der Sar and David de Gea had set such a high benchmark for goalkeeping at Manchester United that it would always take someone exceptional to match their level.
That summer, INEOS brought in Senne Lammens, and he went on to show that he could belong in the same class as keepers such as De Gea and Van der Sar.
With Lammens’ shot-stopping ability and the defensive assurance he offered, Manchester United’s numbers at the back improved markedly. He gave United’s defence a calmer and more authoritative presence.
By the close of the season, he had made such an impact that he ended up winning the Premier League Transfer of the Season award.
Even so, he has not had the best start to this campaign, letting in six goals across three league matches, although he has not been wholly at fault. The defence has badly let him down.
Even then, those early worries have not dented his confidence, ambition or commitment.
As a matter of fact, Lammens has now spoken about the type of goalkeeper he wants to become for the 20-time English champions and also disclosed which quality he would take from legendary United goalkeeper Van der Sar if he could choose only one.
Speaking to Via Play, Lammens said:
“Big clubs don’t want a keeper who performs well one match and poorly the next match. You want someone who is a rock behind the defence. Someone the team can rely on.
“That’s definitely a major goal for me. It’s something to embody as a goalkeeper. You can compare it a bit to Edwin van der Sar. He’s someone I admire greatly. What I want to take from his game is that calmness.”
Despite the recent and relatively minor concerns over his difficulty in keeping clean sheets, the 24-year-old goalkeeper has unquestionably been a major upgrade on what Manchester United had before him.
His displays have been a breath of fresh air compared to Onana and Bayindir.
He is still improving, and if one or two aspects of his game are polished, he will surely go on to become one of Manchester United’s greats.
Hopefully, that clean sheet against Sabah FK is the beginning of Lammens recording more shutouts, proving his value and silencing the doubters.
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