Senne Lammens has looked at home since joining Manchester United last summer
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Senne Lammens has excelled in his first season at Man Unitedopen image in gallery
Senne Lammens has excelled in his first season at Man United (AFP/Getty)
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Manchester United’s chief goalkeeping scout Tony Coton has declared that Senne Lammens possesses the potential to become "one of the world’s best" if his impressive start at Old Trafford continues.
The 23-year-old Belgium international, who arrived from Royal Antwerp last summer in an £18.1 million deal, has quickly made an impact.
Speaking on the club’s podcast, Inside Carrington, Coton was asked if Lammens reminded him of any other player.
He responded: "He can be anything. If he puts the work in and he has a really good work ethic – he does. He’s got all the tools and he’s got the mental capacity to cope with it, as we’ve seen."
Lammens has been tipped to go to the top of the sportopen image in gallery
Lammens has been tipped to go to the top of the sport (Action Images/Reuters)
Coton emphasised Lammens’ unique qualities, stating: "From a goalkeeping point of view, I don’t want to compare him to anyone. He is Senne Lammens and he is himself, and if he keeps working as hard as he is doing and we get those little things tidied up, he can be one of the world’s best, I’m sure he can."
However, the scout also noted areas for development, adding: "He’s still got a bit to do, for me, though. He’s got a lot of improvement to do in certain areas."
Lammens marked his Manchester United debut with a clean sheet in a 2-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford on October 4, and has since retained his position in the team.
Coton revealed his confidence in the player from the outset: "They asked me could he go into the team and I said, ‘Yes straight away, straight away’. I had to say that anyway because I’d recommended him!"
The United scout, who was then at Aston Villa, first identified Lammens as an Under-17s international in 2019.
He recalled: "I saw somebody that loved to protect his goal, defend his goal. It hurt him when a goal went in, it meant something because he’d conceded. He wasn’t happy.
“Even from an early age, you really had to look at him and analyse him to see which was his stronger foot."