Senne Lammens has excelled as Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper this season, with two attributes setting him apart from his predecessor Andre Onana in particular
Senne Lammens of Manchester United
Senne Lammens has been hailed for his impact at Manchester United since making his debut
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Senne Lammens has been told his 'authority and aura' have helped him cement his position as Manchester United's number one goalkeeper.
Questions were originally asked when the young Belgian keeper was brought in from Royal Antwerp in an £18.2million transfer on deadline day on September 1. The 23-year-old was considered a relative unknown by some pundits upon his arrival at Old Trafford, having yet to earn his first senior international cap for Belgium.
However, Andre Onana entered the season with significant question marks surrounding him whilst Altay Bayindir had similarly failed to impress. Following a series of costly mistakes from Onana that resulted in his loan move to Turkish side Trabzonspor, United head coach Ruben Amorim quickly looked to Lammens.
He has grasped the chance firmly, recording a clean sheet in his first appearance against Sunderland and helping United maintain an undefeated run across their last five fixtures. Ex-United and Wrexham shot-stopper Ben Foster reckons that improvement in results can be partially credited to the assurance shown by Lammens in goal.
His self-belief in his own capabilities presents a marked difference to Onana, who seemed stripped of confidence by the time of his departure.
Speaking about Lammens' displays on talkSPORT, Foster said: "I didn't know what to expect at the beginning. It's a massive step up and you need somebody with a bit of authority and a bit of an aura about them to step into that Manchester United team.
Senne Lammens congratulated by Manchester United teammates
Senne Lammens has been praised for his confident performances in goal for Manchester United
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"But he's done it so far with absolute ease and he's got this confidence about him. He's coming out for balls into the box, where you're normally talking about seriously seasoned Premier League goalies that do this kind of stuff and he's doing it from the get-go.
"It still remains to be seen whether he's got the X factor and the little bits that turn a good goalie into a great goalkeeper. Whether Senne Lammens has that in his game remains to be seen."
Foster was initially sceptical about Lammens' arrival after previously suggesting it would require a "miracle" for the signing to prove worthwhile. However, he has now changed his stance following the keeper's composed performances between the sticks.
United legend Rio Ferdinand has also praised Lammens' impact, with Amorim's men currently sitting seventh in the Premier League following their dramatic 2-2 draw at Tottenham on Saturday.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: "You can't talk about anyone being our most important player without mentioning the goalkeeper. It's no coincidence we've had an upturn in form. We've got a goalkeeper that it seems all the players trust."
Lammens was recently labelled as "boring" by some United supporters on social media as a compliment after he appeared for Belgium international duty wearing beige attire. It's a description the goalkeeper himself is more than willing to accept as he strives to establish a reputation for reliability.
"I understand I might come across as 'boring' but that's the goalkeeper I want to be," he told Belgian publication HLN. "I don't do anything crazy. In recent years, players have come through here who...weren't boring. But I want to stand for consistency. Staying calm, in good times and bad.
"If you want a successful career, you have to have that quality, I think. I saw that in Simon Mignolet (at Club Brugge) and Jean Butez (at Antwerp). They were my role models. I was able to steal from them with my eyes."
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