Wes Brown has been impressed by what he has seen so far from Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who arrived from Royal Antwerp in the summer with limited experience.
Senne Lammens has excelled as Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper after his predecessor, Andre Onana, failed miserably in the demanding role.
Questions were originally asked when United signed Lammens in a £18.2 million transfer on deadline day, after eyeing up moves for experienced goalkeepers like Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.
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The 23-year-old was considered a relative unknown by many upon his arrival at Old Trafford, but United beat Sunderland 2-0 in his debut as the team kept their first clean sheet of the season.
Since then, United have been unbeaten in five Premier League matches.
Altay Bayindir has never been further away from the team because it finally looks like there’s a safe pair of hands between the sticks.
Lammens made his senior debut for Belgium on Tuesday night in a 7-0 win over Liechtenstein to secure their place in the 2026 World Cup. He will now return to Carrington to prepare for United’s next match against Everton on Monday night.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesWes Brown hails Senne Lammens for getting the basics right
The biggest issue with Onana at United was that he was too error-prone.
Onana arrived at Old Trafford as one of the highest-rated goalkeepers in Europe, after helping Inter Milan reach a Champions League final, but he was unable to replicate that form at United.
The arrival of Lammens led to Onana joining Trabzonspor on loan for the entire season.
Former United defender Wes Brown has been impressed by the impact of Lammens since coming into the team.
Speaking to United United United media, Brown explained that the biggest difference between Lammens and Onana is that he gets the basics right.
Brown also admitted that Onana made too many avoidable mistakes during his time at United, proving costly to the team’s results.
“It’s a shame when something doesn’t work out for an individual,” Brown said.
“Onana, first of all, great lad. But it’s not worked out. There’s been mistakes where there shouldn’t have been mistakes. I don’t want to say ‘you brought it on yourself’ but you just want to get back to basics.
“We know he’s [Lammens] only come in, but it’s pretty much basics. Sometimes that is what you want. You want him to do a big save if needed, but you don’t want to hear about your keeper doing this or that.
“Honestly, that’s a big thing and people might not understand it. If nobody has anything to say about your goalkeeper, you know he’s had a good game. It’s as simple as that. Or if he’s not had much to do.
“Lammens has come in and obviously eyes are on him. There will be a lot of pressure on him and it’s how he handles it. I thought he’s kept it all simple, safe when he needs to and can be straightforward as well. No messing about. I think that’s what we needed a little bit.”
It’s one less talking point for Ruben Amorim to worry about, and he’s young enough to remain United’s first-choice keeper for the next 10 years.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson has been singing Lammens’ praises over the international break.
Senne Lammens searching for his second clean sheet at Man Utd
United host Everton at the weekend, with Lammens seeking his second clean sheet for the club.
The stopper kept a clean sheet for Belgium during the week, and it bodes well that United beat the Toffees 4-0 in the same fixture last season, shortly after Amorim became head coach.
Ruben Amorim is excited about Senne Lammens
He can kick long balls with a lot of quality with both feet, and that is a detail that can change the way we play the game.
Onana made 24 clean sheets in 102 appearances for United.
The Cameroon stopper made three for Trabzonspor after eight appearances this season.