United needed a new goalkeeper and Lammens has to be given the chance as their first-choice.placeholder image
United needed a new goalkeeper and Lammens has to be given the chance as their first-choice. | Manchester United via Getty Images
Senne Lammens signed for Man United on transfer deadline day to become their new goalkeeper.
The saga surrounding Manchester United’s goalkeepers has been a long-running talking point at Old Trafford, with Ruben Amorim scratching his head over which keeper to play, and whether to keep certain names.
However, on transfer deadline day, United signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp, and it is understood that he will now battle for the starting job at Old Trafford, which handed Bayindir and former starter Andre Onana extra competition.
Onana’s move doubled his wage bill
However, that may not have been his only motivation. According to the Daily Mail, Onana’s loan move to Trabzonspor has doubled his salary due to all the bonuses and the signing-on fee that is attached to his move. He is due to travel to Turkey to complete his move later in the week.
United don’t get anything back from the deal aside from not having to pay Onana’s wages, as there is no loan fee or obligation or option to buy him at the end of the deal, which will come in June. At that point, the question will re-emerge over what Man United do with the Cameroon international. His future will likely hinge on how successful this loan move to Trabzonspor turns out to be.
Will Lammens be the answer for Amorim in goal?
With Onana due to leave, the next question is who will start for the Red Devils, as Bayindir has made mistakes in the past, but new signing Lammens is very inexperienced at this top level.
Lammens has spent the early part of his career in the Belgian leagues, and at the age of just 23, he doesn’t have a vast amount of minutes under his belt. The Belgian keeper has made 103 career appearances so far, conceding 153 goals, and keeping 19 clean sheets, although he does have a reputation in Belgium for being a very promising prospect.
The reputation is backed up by data too, as Lammens ranked first last season in Europe’s top 10 leagues for total saves made (173), and for saving percentage (77.4%). His statistics also single him out as someone who rarely makes errors, which could be one of the reasons why Man United were so keen on him, based on their recent goalkeeper struggles with Onana and Bayindir.
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