Manchester United made a late decision in the summer transfer window when recruiting goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for a fee of 18.1 million pounds. Three weeks have passed since the announcement of the contract, but "Red Devils" fans are still asking the question of when will Lammens have an official debut?
Lammens has not played a single minute for Man United so far. Ruben Amorim has not revealed the time to put him on the field, either against Brentford this weekend or the home match against Sunderland in early October.
This delay is not Senne Lammens' fault. Internal sources said the Belgian goalkeeper has made a positive impression in training. He is described as mature, calm and quick to adapt to the new environment. The early settlement in Manchester also helped Lammens focus on training at Carrington.
Tom Heaton appreciated the 23-year-old Belgian new signing, saying: "He has a strong personality, the basic skills of a goalkeeper are very impressive. After a few days of training, I told Lammens that I was really surprised. He is doing very well.
Despite only having a full season as a starting forward at Royal Antwerp, Lammens' statistics are encouraging. He has played 30 times in the Belgian league, kept a clean sheet 7 times and made 173 saves, more than any goalkeeper in Europe's top 10 leagues. In particular, Lammens successfully blocked 4 penalties, which is also the highest number.
According to Opta, Lammens has a save percentage of 77.4%, pass accuracy of 71.5% and a goal prevented rate of+18.4, a clear testament to their good ability.
Toby Alderweireld - Lammens' teammate at Royal Antwerp, affirmed: "He is young and has an ideal physique. I believe Lammens are completely suitable for the English football environment".
Although he appreciated the potential of his new student, Ruben Amorim was determined to use Altay Bayindir in recent matches. The reason given is the experience factor.
The Man United captain shared: "Lammens have a lot of potential but we also need to consider the present first. The Premier League is a different tournament, with very high pressure and speed. This is the time when the team needs an experienced goalkeeper.
Bayindir has started 6/7 of their most recent matches in the Premier League, including a 0-3 defeat to Man City and a 2-1 victory over Chelsea. However, the Turkish goalkeeper's form is still a controversial topic.
Statistics show that Bayindir is ranked 16th among goalkeepers in terms of saves (50%), ranked 17th in terms of accuracy in passing the ball. Mistakes against Arsenal and Burnley saw him concede eight goals, higher than expected goals (7.14). These numbers clearly do not create a sense of security for the "Red Devils" defense.
Therefore, experts and Man United fans believe that Lammens' playing time is only a matter of when, not whether he plays or not.
The problem for Amorim is to choose the right time for Lammens to start. A poor performance on the debut day can greatly affect the mentality of young goalkeepers, especially in harsh environments like the Premier League.
In addition, the defeat to Grimsby Town in the League Cup left Man United without a "soft playground" for Lammens to try. The FA Cup will have to wait until January 2026, and the youth tournament is not suitable for players who have been promoted to the first team. This means his debut match will almost certainly take place in the Premier League, where every mistake can be exaggerated much more than the reality on the pitch.
Roy Carroll - former M.U goalkeeper spoke up to warn: "He is only 23 years old. Please, give him time to mature. We did it with De Gea, he came very young and had to adapt before becoming a world-class goalkeeper. Every goalkeeper makes mistakes, the important thing is not to do too much".
