"Manchester United need to find a new goalkeeper. I have to, I completely believe it," said former defender Gary Neville after seeing Altay Bayindir make a devastating mistake, giving Arsenal a 1-0 win at Old Trafford in the Premier League opener.
"It's worrying that you don't have a real number one goalkeeper - the one who dominates the penalty area, dares to run out in every situation and makes important saves when the defense makes mistakes. If they don't rectify, they will continue to concede and weaken themselves" - Neville emphasized.
Despite the mistake, Bayindir was still the main target in the following matches against Fulham and Burnley, while Andre Onana was on the bench.
In the first weeks of the season, coach Ruben Amorim was forced to choose Bayindir as a "less bad" solution, while 39-year-old veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton was only a reserve.
Gary Neville pointed out the problem when he said that Man United would find it difficult to go far without a real number one goalkeeper. Luckily, they are very close to that.
The Old Trafford team successfully recruited 23-year-old goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on the last day of the transfer window. Lammens is expected to solve the problem of many years of difficulty in the "Red Devils" goal, especially when Onana left on loan.
Strength
In addition to his ability to dominate the penalty area, Lammens also proved that he is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe today.
Last season, the Belgian goalkeeper made 127 saves - more than any other colleague in the Belgian national championship. He was named by Statman Dave as the top 1% goalkeeper with the highest success rate of free kicks in Europe's top 20 tournaments.
Lammens' biggest strength is their ability to face the opposing striker in one-on-one situations. He often wins thanks to his combination of reasonable positioning ability, quick reflexes and incredible calmness.
In addition, Lammens also possesses the ability to distribute the ball with both feet. This is expected to overcome the inherent weakness that Onana has exposed since joining Man United in 2023.
Weaknesses
At the age of 23, Lammens still has a long way to go to the peak of his career and is on the way to becoming a complete goalkeeper. However, he also revealed some limitations, mainly due to his desire to prove himself.
"To really reach top-class, he needs to improve his accuracy. Lammens tend to take risks in every game, and sometimes that leads to mistakes.
Usually it was just a small mistake like a miss, but there were also cases of conceding a goal due to a missed pass or mis judging the situation" - Bart Tamsyn, former member of Brugge Club said.
However, these limitations are completely understandable for a goalkeeper who has only had a full season at the highest level. Lammens is still a young talent of the Belgium U21 team and has never tried his hand at the top.
That means Man United are betting £18 million on potential rather than solidity. However, with a progressive spirit and courage, the Belgian goalkeeper is expected to quickly adapt to the pressure at Old Trafford.
What does Ruben Amorim expect from Lammens?
Amorim expects Lammens to become a solid foundation for Man United's rebuilding process. Although the club spent more than £200 million in the summer on big-money signings such as Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, Lammens could be the most important offer.
At 23, he has the potential to become the number one goalkeeper that Man United have been looking for since Edwin van der Sar's time.
