Senne Lammens’ rise at Man Utd has caught even the most optimistic fans by surprise, and the secret to it might just be in him being the ideal Andre Onana antidote.
The Manchester United goalkeeper position is the hardest in football. That’s not this writer’s opinion; it’s a statement by Gary Neville, who saw numerous goalkeepers marshal the Old Trafford posts.
For Senne Lammens, the challenge was even harder, as he came from the Belgian Pro League and replaced an error-prone pair of Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir.
How did he do it? The answer lies in his response to Neville’s “hardest position” claim, which positions him as the ideal Onana antidote.
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Senne Lammens on Man Utd goalkeeper position
The first thing that immediately sticks out while watching Lammens in action is how supremely unperturbed he is by what’s going on around him.
He rarely makes mistakes, but when he does, he shrugs them off and gets back to his usual level the very next second.
When the team is in chaos, and the emotions are running high, he kills the momentum by making a routine save, no high-fiving, and just getting back to business.
Lammens, in an interview with MUTV, has shared that it’s that relaxed mentality which helps him tackle the “hardest position” in world football.
He said: “There are a couple of things that make it easier for me. My personality is quite relaxed and mellow, and not thinking about those negative things.
“But also the people around me, my teammates and this club made it easier for me. I just be myself and play my game.”
Lammens is the perfect Andre Onana antidote
Lammens’ ability to never feel too high or too low is exactly what was needed after the chaos and bombastic personality of Onana.
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From telling the fans to expect “more risks” before the season began, to talking a big game then failing on the pitch, Onana’s mentality was everything you don’t want in a United goalkeeper.
His good games were extremely good, but his bad games were simply guaranteeing a loss, which happened far too often.
In contrast, Lammens is the perfect no-fuss “7/10” player who will occasionally have a “9/10” game.
He said: “I think I’ve done quite alright. You always try to think about the positives and negatives, even though I’m not really a guy who thinks about worst-case stuff, because the more you think about it, I think the more it can happen, or it makes you stressful.”
Onana always looked dazed after making an error, resulting in a cascading effect where every ball that went close to him thereafter looked like a goalscoring opportunity for the opposition.
Lammens is not even close to a theoretical “goalkeeper’s peak”, and he’s already got the mentality part down perfectly.
Exciting times are coming, but surely Lammens is not excited at all. That’s the charm of his game!
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