‘Are you Schmeichel in disguise?’ Lammens serenaded on Man Utd debut

You couldn’t make up a joke about Manchester United’s fans.

With one full season of senior football left in the Belgian Pro-League, 23-year-old Senne Lammens is a bit of a stretch to compare one of United’s greatest goalkeepers to one of the greatest goalkeepers in history.

However, “are you Schmeichel in disguise” is sung by the Stretford End? The debut of Lammens’ release revealed both their frustration with Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana’s replacement as well as their love for the new boy.

A simple catch was greeted with enthusiastic cheers because the fan base’s expectations for the goalkeeping situation have dropped so drastically.

And there were some unfortunate events that prevented the season’s first clean sheet.

Lammens’ attempted to win a ball chase that also included his skipper Bruno Fernandes and Bertrand Traore was poorly advised and could have gone wrong in the second half.

Instead, the Sunderland man was flagged for diving after Traore had gotten to the ball first to get Lammens out of the game.

Lammens can still look back on the two significant saves he made while on international duty for the time being.

Lammens’ agility was demonstrated by the second, a low stop to block Granit Xhaka’s long-range effort that was sneaking in. When Chemsdine Talbi bore down on him, he stood tall and refused to give himself away, repressing the Morocco international with his legs.

It demonstrated a lack of confidence and competence for Bayindir, and it begged why head coach Ruben Amorim waited four games to give Lammens a debut following his £18.1 million deadline-day departure from Royal Antwerp.

“Altay was playing when Senne arrived here,” Amorim said.

He needed to adapt, he said, “and then you could feel it.” A new training environment was present.

It took a little preparation to get the goalkeeper ready for his first game because of the pressure you guys [the media] put on him.

“But he needs to work,” he continued. He needs to be prepared [because] things are really difficult in our club.

He performed well throughout the game and felt at ease. That is a really positive sign.

Leon Osman, a former Everton midfielder, suggested Amorim was right to bide his time before selecting Lammens for the team when he made the commentary on the game for BBC Radio Five Live.

He claimed that it was wise to not simply chuck him in. You must first let him tour the area, visit the stadium a few times, get to know the game, and let him know which foot you want the ball to go with.

“It’s all these little things, just to get to know your team-mates, so they don’t give you a terrible back pass in a difficult game when the crowd is going crazy,” he said.

Particularly in the second half, it was obvious Lammens was instructed to make long passes in the direction of the forwards.

Opta recorded 86.4% of Lammens’ 44 passes as long, compared to Bayindir’s average of 56.5% this season.

Regis Le Bris, the manager of Sunderland, understood why Amorim urged his new goalkeeper to employ that tactic.

He said, “If they go direct, it is impossible to stop.”

Lammens’ introduction was just one positive thing United did.

For the first time in more than two years, they have now won three home games in a row. Important is that first clean sheet, and if results elsewhere are positive, they could be in the top half of the table for the international break.

Amorim, who was under enormous pressure in the beginning due to conflicting reports about Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s support for him, needs much more.

The United win two consecutive Premier League games for the first time in well over a year with the trip to Liverpool on October 19th. This position has already been violated twice this season, with losses coming from home and to Brentford and Manchester City.

Amorim remarked, “There is no momentum.” We are aware of what occurs after a winning game. The issue is not seeing the same team away and at home.

To convince the hierarchy and supporters that Amorim can make the right decision when they hired him almost a year ago, he needs to get a string of positive outcomes.

His future will be determined by a series of fixtures, including Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Everton, and Crystal Palace.

After the game, goalkeeper Mason Mount declared that Amorim was behind. The former head of sports can sense that.

Amorim said, “I know they want to do their best and I know they don’t want to change the coach constantly.”