Man Utd goalkeeper Senne Lammens has made a huge impact since making his debut against Sunderland earlier this month.
Lammens spoke at Carrington.(Image: BBC Sport)
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Senne Lammens believes it was the right decision to delay his Manchester United debut.
Lammens signed for United on transfer deadline day for £18.2million from Royal Antwerp, but Ruben Amorim persisted with Altay Bayindir for three Premier League games following his arrival.
Amorim finally gave Lammens his debut against Sunderland earlier this month. The 23-year-old made a strong first impression, recording a clean sheet, and has retained his starting role since.
The United boss explained that Lammens needed time to adapt in training at Carrington before his first appearance, and the Belgian stopper agreed with that assessment.
Speaking about the decision to delay his debut, Lammens told BBC Sport: "There was nothing said before about there being a strict plan. It was always 'the best goalkeeper will play'.
"But at the start, I had a little bit of difficulty in training. The manager saw that and gave me a little bit of time to adapt. The first game I played was the perfect opportunity for me. From there everything went well. I couldn't have imagined a better start."
United fans chanted 'are you Schmeichel in disguise?' at Lammens on his debut. "I don't listen to it too much during the game, but I saw it afterwards," he said about the chant.
"I'm not Schmeichel in disguise. I am just Senne Lammens trying to help the team. It is an amazing compliment to get, but you have to be realistic. He is one of the best goalkeepers ever. I have to prove a lot more to be in the same conversation as him. I want to have a long career here.
"Then, maybe in the end, I can be in the conversation with people like Schmeichel and [Edwin] Van der Sar and [David] De Gea. That would be really nice."
Lammens added on his start at United: "Of course, you hear from other people there is a lot of pressure coming here and playing for this team. But I welcome that. Firstly, it is nice you can play for such a big team. There should be a lot of pressure. I'm not really scared of it.
"There has been a lot of talk about tactics but it is not about that. It is about the way we play and the intensity. It is also about being realistic and knowing, against Liverpool, it won't be the prettiest game in terms of build-up. It was more about being direct and playing for the second balls.
"If we are high up the pitch, with the players we have, we can always make it difficult for the opponent. It is also not making it too difficult for ourselves. Building from the back can sometimes hurt you more than it helps.
"I have been trying not to take too many risks and trusting the qualities of the guys up front and in midfield. Sometimes we need to get the ball there as fast as possible."
Lammens also discussed his relationship with United's defenders, revealing that Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt had told him what they expected to see from him. "They told me I don't need to be the most amazing or special goalkeeper, just to be there in important moments to give the team trust," he said.
"It makes them more relaxed knowing someone is behind them who can help them. One of the key points of a goalkeeper is helping the defence with communication.
"I am proud of being calm and collected. But when the time is needed, I can be harsh or shout at teammates. To have both characteristics is good."
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