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On the day of the transfer deadline, Senne Lammens’ deal, “Will-he, won’t-he move to Manchester United,” was one of the more intriguing ones.

United had identified Lammens as a potential goalkeeper early in the window, but the Premier League team didn’t make their decision until the day’s deadline.

The 23-year-old Royal Antwerp player was still on his way to England, making sure he was in the right place “just in case” a deal was reached.

Five hours after the window closed, and long after Aston Villa’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez had given up on making a move to Old Trafford, having also been put on alert by United’s renewed interest in him, the deal was finally announced at 10pm.

Lammens described his £18.1 million switch as “a dream come true.” He added that he hoped it would mark “the beginning of something special.”

First of all, Lammens has no idea what he has done wrong.

According to sources, the Belgium Under-21 international has excelled in training and has a positive outlook overall.

Lammens is described as having a composed presence, being mature for his kind, and enjoying his new surroundings. He has already moved somewhere, which can be disruptive in its own right.

Tom Heaton, United’s third-round goalkeeper, backed up this assertion in an interview with the Podcasting Ground Guru: “He has a strong personality.

His fundamentals of goalkeeping are impressive. After a few days of training, I said that to him. He has already done a lot of impressive work.

United sources wanted to emphasize that he had been acquired with an eye on the future around his signing rather than Martinez.

His performance was impressive. No player saved more penalties than Lammens’ four in the Belgian Pro League last season, as he made 30 appearances and kept seven clean sheets and recorded 173 saves, which is 20 more than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top ten leagues.

According to data analysts Opta, Lammens had a passing accuracy of 71% and a save percentage of 77.4%. Additionally, they claimed that 18.4 of his “goals prevented” total was.

Toby Alderweireld, a former Belgium and Tottenham defender, said, “Senne is young and has a big frame.” He’ll suit perfectly in England.

With only a single full season as the club’s number one goalkeeper and 57 senior appearances to his credit, Lammens was unsure whether he would be drafted right into the United first team in the fiery atmosphere of a Manchester derby on September 14.

Amorim explained why in his press conference a few days earlier, but he wasn’t until he was.

He has a lot of potential, but we also need to consider the present, and the goalkeeper needs to be extremely strong and experienced, he said.

It is a different league, different nation, and different ball.

Altay Bayindir, a Turkish international, won six of the previous seven Premier League games and all three of this season, staying in his place after falling to 3-0, and keeping it for the victory over Chelsea on September 20 with Trevoh Chalobah’s 80th-minute header into the corner giving the keeper no chance.

Few people believe the former United star, who cost United £4.3 million in 2023, is capable of filling the position on a full-time basis despite Amorim’s prediction that Bayindir and Lammens will battle for the top spot.

In terms of save percentage (50%), Bayindir ranks 16th out of the goalkeepers who have made more than two Premier League appearances this year, Opta claims. His home victories at Arsenal and Burnley resulted in eight goals conceded this season, more than his expected goals conceded figure of 7.14, which places him 17th in the league and far behind Fulham’s Bernd Leno, who conceded 2.15 goals fewer than he should.

Long pass accuracy is at 18th and passing accuracy at 17th respectively.

All of these figures strongly support the theory that Lammens should have his chance rather than when.

Amorim must be cautious when choosing the right day because a subpar performance could turn Lammens off because he has chosen to keep his newcomer out of the firing line so far.

United’s elimination from League Two Grimsby before Lammens even arrived has made the selection problem more difficult.

This implies that there won’t be a “soft landing” like in a less competitive competition, and that the assimilation period’s immediate consequences wouldn’t be as bad.

In the Premier League International Cup game at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, United opted not to name Lammens as an overage player.

It would have given Lammens a firsthand experience playing under floodlights at the main stadium, which is unusual for someone to make the first-team squad if they were primarily playing for Travis Binnion’s Under-21 squad.

The 1,600-person crowd, which was only a fraction of what the first team received, is comparable to the 6,456 who attended Lammens’ final senior game against Royal Antwerp at Charleroi in the Belgian Pro-League.

Therefore, Lammens appears to be set to make his next competitive appearance in the Premier League when the opposition manager won’t need a single invitation to target a rookie until United’s FA Cup campaign kicks off in January.

Roy Carroll, a former United goalkeeper, has urged caution against anticipating too much.

The Northern Irishman pleaded with the 23-year-old to allow him to grow as a Manchester United goalkeeper.

When David de Gea arrived, we did it for him. Before joining Manchester United, he was a young, successful goalkeeper.

Senne Lammens’ will-he, won’t-he move to Manchester United was one of the more intriguing deals on transfer deadline day.

Lammens had been identified as a goalkeeper of interest by United early in the window and although their interest intensified in the final week, it was not until deadline day itself the Premier League club made their move.

By that time, the 23-year-old Royal Antwerp player was on his way to England anyway, making sure he was in the right place ‘just in case’ an agreement was reached.

The deal was eventually announced at 10pm, five hours after the window closed and long after Aston Villa’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez had given up on his own dreams of securing a move to Old Trafford, having also been put on red alert by United’s renewed interest in him.

Lammens described his £18.1m switch as “a dream come true”. He also said he hoped it would be the “beginning of something special”.

Firstly, there is no sense Lammens has done anything wrong.

Sources say the Belgium Under-21 international has impressed in training and the overall view of him is a positive one.

Lammens is described as having a calm presence, as being mature for his age and is taking his new surroundings in his stride. He has already got somewhere to live, so has stepped out of hotel life, which in itself can be disruptive.

This view is backed up by United’s number three goalkeeper Tom Heaton in an interview with the Training Ground Guru podcast: “He has a strong personality.

“His goalkeeping fundamentals are very impressive. I said that to him after a couple of days’ training. He’s been very impressive so far.”

Around his signing in preference to Martinez, United sources were keen to stress he had been bought with an eye on the future.

His stats were good. Last season, Lammens made 30 appearances in the Belgian Pro League, keeping seven clean sheets and making 173 saves, which was 20 more than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top-10 leagues, while no player saved more penalties than his four.

Data analysts Opta said Lammens had a save percentage of 77.4% and a passing accuracy of 71.5%. They also said his ‘goals prevented’ total was 18.4.

“Senne is young and has a big frame,” said former Belgium and Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld. “He’ll be a perfect fit in England.”

There was uncertainty over whether Lammens, with just a single full season as a number one goalkeeper and 57 senior appearances behind him, would be pitched straight into the United first team in the white-hot atmosphere of a Manchester derby on 14 September.

He wasn’t, with Amorim explaining why in his news conference a couple of days earlier.

“He has a lot of potential but we also have to look at the present and we are in a moment that the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience,” he said.

“It is a different league, different country, different ball.”

Turkey international Altay Bayindir, who had started six of the previous seven Premier League games and all three this season, retained his place at the Etihad Stadium, a 3-0 defeat, and kept it for the victory over Chelsea on 20 September, when the visitors had just one effort on target, Trevoh Chalobah’s 80th-minute header into the corner that gave the keeper no chance.

Although Amorim has said Bayindir and Lammens will compete for the number one spot, few think the former Fenerbahce man, who cost United £4.3m in 2023, is capable of filling the role on a full-time basis.

According to Opta, of the goalkeepers with more than two Premier League appearances this season, Bayindir ranks 16th in terms of save percentage (50%). His mistakes in the home games against Arsenal and Burnley mean he has conceded eight goals this season, more than his expected goals conceded figure of 7.14, putting him 17th in the list and a long way behind the leader in that metric, Fulham’s Bernd Leno, who has conceded 2.15 goals fewer than he should.

Bayindir is 17th in terms of passing accuracy and 18th for long pass accuracy.

All of these numbers very much lead towards the theory it is a question of when, not if, Lammens gets his chance.

Yet, having elected to keep his new arrival out of the firing line so far, Amorim has to be careful when choosing the right day as a poor performance could set Lammens back.

The selection issue has been made more tricky by United’s elimination from the EFL Cup at League Two Grimsby before Lammens had even arrived.

It means there is no ‘soft landing’ available in a lesser competition, when the consequences for immediate mistakes in the assimilation period would not be quite so great.

United opted against naming Lammens as an overage player in the Premier League International Cup game at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

While it would be unusual for someone bedded into the first-team squad to feature in a game primarily for Travis Binnion’s Under-21 squad, it would at least have given Lammens a taste of playing under floodlights at the main stadium.

Although the attendance of 1,600 was a fraction of what the first team get, it is not far off the crowd of 6,456 who saw Lammens’ last senior game, in the Belgian Pro-League for Royal Antwerp at Charleroi.

So, unless he is made to wait until United begin their FA Cup campaign in January, it now seems Lammens will make his next competitive appearance in the Premier League, when the opposition manager will need little invitation to target a rookie.

Former United goalkeeper Roy Carroll has cautioned against expecting too much too soon.

“He’s only 23, please, please give him time and let him grow as a Manchester United goalkeeper,” the Northern Irishman told BBC Sport.

“We did it for David de Gea when he came in. He was a very young goalkeeper and a successful one even before he came to Manchester United as well.

Senne Lammens’ will-he, won’t-he move to Manchester United was one of the more intriguing deals on transfer deadline day.

Lammens had been identified as a goalkeeper of interest by United early in the window and although their interest intensified in the final week, it was not until deadline day itself the Premier League club made their move.

By that time, the 23-year-old Royal Antwerp player was on his way to England anyway, making sure he was in the right place ‘just in case’ an agreement was reached.

The deal was eventually announced at 10pm, five hours after the window closed and long after Aston Villa’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez had given up on his own dreams of securing a move to Old Trafford, having also been put on red alert by United’s renewed interest in him.

Lammens described his £18.1m switch as “a dream come true”. He also said he hoped it would be the “beginning of something special”.

Firstly, there is no sense Lammens has done anything wrong.

Sources say the Belgium Under-21 international has impressed in training and the overall view of him is a positive one.

Lammens is described as having a calm presence, as being mature for his age and is taking his new surroundings in his stride. He has already got somewhere to live, so has stepped out of hotel life, which in itself can be disruptive.

This view is backed up by United’s number three goalkeeper Tom Heaton in an interview with the Training Ground Guru podcast: “He has a strong personality.

“His goalkeeping fundamentals are very impressive. I said that to him after a couple of days’ training. He’s been very impressive so far.”

Around his signing in preference to Martinez, United sources were keen to stress he had been bought with an eye on the future.

His stats were good. Last season, Lammens made 30 appearances in the Belgian Pro League, keeping seven clean sheets and making 173 saves, which was 20 more than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top-10 leagues, while no player saved more penalties than his four.

Data analysts Opta said Lammens had a save percentage of 77.4% and a passing accuracy of 71.5%. They also said his ‘goals prevented’ total was 18.4.

“Senne is young and has a big frame,” said former Belgium and Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld. “He’ll be a perfect fit in England.”

There was uncertainty over whether Lammens, with just a single full season as a number one goalkeeper and 57 senior appearances behind him, would be pitched straight into the United first team in the white-hot atmosphere of a Manchester derby on 14 September.

He wasn’t, with Amorim explaining why in his news conference a couple of days earlier.

“He has a lot of potential but we also have to look at the present and we are in a moment that the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience,” he said.

“It is a different league, different country, different ball.”

Turkey international Altay Bayindir, who had started six of the previous seven Premier League games and all three this season, retained his place at the Etihad Stadium, a 3-0 defeat, and kept it for the victory over Chelsea on 20 September, when the visitors had just one effort on target, Trevoh Chalobah’s 80th-minute header into the corner that gave the keeper no chance.

Although Amorim has said Bayindir and Lammens will compete for the number one spot, few think the former Fenerbahce man, who cost United £4.3m in 2023, is capable of filling the role on a full-time basis.

According to Opta, of the goalkeepers with more than two Premier League appearances this season, Bayindir ranks 16th in terms of save percentage (50%). His mistakes in the home games against Arsenal and Burnley mean he has conceded eight goals this season, more than his expected goals conceded figure of 7.14, putting him 17th in the list and a long way behind the leader in that metric, Fulham’s Bernd Leno, who has conceded 2.15 goals fewer than he should.

Bayindir is 17th in terms of passing accuracy and 18th for long pass accuracy.

All of these numbers very much lead towards the theory it is a question of when, not if, Lammens gets his chance.

Yet, having elected to keep his new arrival out of the firing line so far, Amorim has to be careful when choosing the right day as a poor performance could set Lammens back.

The selection issue has been made more tricky by United’s elimination from the EFL Cup at League Two Grimsby before Lammens had even arrived.

It means there is no ‘soft landing’ available in a lesser competition, when the consequences for immediate mistakes in the assimilation period would not be quite so great.

United opted against naming Lammens as an overage player in the Premier League International Cup game at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

While it would be unusual for someone bedded into the first-team squad to feature in a game primarily for Travis Binnion’s Under-21 squad, it would at least have given Lammens a taste of playing under floodlights at the main stadium.

Although the attendance of 1,600 was a fraction of what the first team get, it is not far off the crowd of 6,456 who saw Lammens’ last senior game, in the Belgian Pro-League for Royal Antwerp at Charleroi.

So, unless he is made to wait until United begin their FA Cup campaign in January, it now seems Lammens will make his next competitive appearance in the Premier League, when the opposition manager will need little invitation to target a rookie.

Former United goalkeeper Roy Carroll has cautioned against expecting too much too soon.

“He’s only 23, please, please give him time and let him grow as a Manchester United goalkeeper,” the Northern Irishman told BBC Sport.

“We did it for David de Gea when he came in. He was a very young goalkeeper and a successful one even before he came to Manchester United as well.

Senne Lammens’ will-he, won’t-he move to Manchester United was one of the more intriguing deals on transfer deadline day.

Lammens had been identified as a goalkeeper of interest by United early in the window and although their interest intensified in the final week, it was not until deadline day itself the Premier League club made their move.

By that time, the 23-year-old Royal Antwerp player was on his way to England anyway, making sure he was in the right place ‘just in case’ an agreement was reached.

The deal was eventually announced at 10pm, five hours after the window closed and long after Aston Villa’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez had given up on his own dreams of securing a move to Old Trafford, having also been put on red alert by United’s renewed interest in him.

Lammens described his £18.1m switch as “a dream come true”. He also said he hoped it would be the “beginning of something special”.

Firstly, there is no sense Lammens has done anything wrong.

Sources say the Belgium Under-21 international has impressed in training and the overall view of him is a positive one.

Lammens is described as having a calm presence, as being mature for his age and is taking his new surroundings in his stride. He has already got somewhere to live, so has stepped out of hotel life, which in itself can be disruptive.

This view is backed up by United’s number three goalkeeper Tom Heaton in an interview with the Training Ground Guru podcast: “He has a strong personality.

“His goalkeeping fundamentals are very impressive. I said that to him after a couple of days’ training. He’s been very impressive so far.”

Around his signing in preference to Martinez, United sources were keen to stress he had been bought with an eye on the future.

His stats were good. Last season, Lammens made 30 appearances in the Belgian Pro League, keeping seven clean sheets and making 173 saves, which was 20 more than any other goalkeeper in Europe’s top-10 leagues, while no player saved more penalties than his four.

Data analysts Opta said Lammens had a save percentage of 77.4% and a passing accuracy of 71.5%. They also said his ‘goals prevented’ total was 18.4.

“Senne is young and has a big frame,” said former Belgium and Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld. “He’ll be a perfect fit in England.”

There was uncertainty over whether Lammens, with just a single full season as a number one goalkeeper and 57 senior appearances behind him, would be pitched straight into the United first team in the white-hot atmosphere of a Manchester derby on 14 September.

He wasn’t, with Amorim explaining why in his news conference a couple of days earlier.

“He has a lot of potential but we also have to look at the present and we are in a moment that the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience,” he said.

“It is a different league, different country, different ball.”

Turkey international Altay Bayindir, who had started six of the previous seven Premier League games and all three this season, retained his place at the Etihad Stadium, a 3-0 defeat, and kept it for the victory over Chelsea on 20 September, when the visitors had just one effort on target, Trevoh Chalobah’s 80th-minute header into the corner that gave the keeper no chance.

Although Amorim has said Bayindir and Lammens will compete for the number one spot, few think the former Fenerbahce man, who cost United £4.3m in 2023, is capable of filling the role on a full-time basis.

According to Opta, of the goalkeepers with more than two Premier League appearances this season, Bayindir ranks 16th in terms of save percentage (50%). His mistakes in the home games against Arsenal and Burnley mean he has conceded eight goals this season, more than his expected goals conceded figure of 7.14, putting him 17th in the list and a long way behind the leader in that metric, Fulham’s Bernd Leno, who has conceded 2.15 goals fewer than he should.

Bayindir is 17th in terms of passing accuracy and 18th for long pass accuracy.

All of these numbers very much lead towards the theory it is a question of when, not if, Lammens gets his chance.

Yet, having elected to keep his new arrival out of the firing line so far, Amorim has to be careful when choosing the right day as a poor performance could set Lammens back.

The selection issue has been made more tricky by United’s elimination from the EFL Cup at League Two Grimsby before Lammens had even arrived.

It means there is no ‘soft landing’ available in a lesser competition, when the consequences for immediate mistakes in the assimilation period would not be quite so great.

United opted against naming Lammens as an overage player in the Premier League International Cup game at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

While it would be unusual for someone bedded into the first-team squad to feature in a game primarily for Travis Binnion’s Under-21 squad, it would at least have given Lammens a taste of playing under floodlights at the main stadium.

Although the attendance of 1,600 was a fraction of what the first team get, it is not far off the crowd of 6,456 who saw Lammens’ last senior game, in the Belgian Pro-League for Royal Antwerp at Charleroi.

So, unless he is made to wait until United begin their FA Cup campaign in January, it now seems Lammens will make his next competitive appearance in the Premier League, when the opposition manager will need little invitation to target a rookie.

Former United goalkeeper Roy Carroll has cautioned against expecting too much too soon.

“He’s only 23, please, please give him time and let him grow as a Manchester United goalkeeper,” the Northern Irishman told BBC Sport.

“We did it for David de Gea when he came in. He was a very young goalkeeper and a successful one even before he came to Manchester United as well.

Over the past seven days, there have been many things going on, including Scottish hat-tricks in the Bundesliga, World Athletics Championship ceremonies, and Ballon d’Or ceremonies.

When the visiting Manchester City fans at Huddersfield sang the names of Yaya and Kolo Toure among their regular repertoire of songs for former players, they might not have anticipated a second pair of brothers playing on the same pitch in Yorkshire soon afterwards.

However, the manager turned his back on the bench and beckoned forward brothers Reigan and Jaden Heskey, both of whom were the sons of ex-England striker Emile, after their League One opponents in the Carabao Cup went 2-0 up.

Fans got to see his sons making their first-team debuts for the club after being given their instructions from a bench that included Kolo Toure, who is now a member of City’s backroom staff, and 10 years after dad Emile’s final EFL Cup appearance.

Guardiola stated that the academy made six starting XI players today.

The Heskey brothers “come on two more times.” I believe their parents will be incredibly proud of their children. That is really cool.

Reigan is referred to as a “tricky, clinical winger” on the City website, and at age 17 he is the younger brother, Jaden being viewed as a “mature, hard-working” box-to-box midfielder.

Both of City’s academy teams have a regular roster, with Jaden frequently sporting the captain’s armband during Premier League 2 contests. He scored in the City City 4-0 win over Leeds to win the FA Youth Cup in 2024.

Heskey claimed in August that “they’re similar to me.” They both have excellent athleticism.

The youngster moves very quickly. The more senior one is a little bit like me.

They both share similar characteristics, according to the statement.

Phil Foden, perhaps City’s most decorated young graduate of recent years, was the one who once more caught the eye.

The midfielder claimed last year that his struggles stemmed from an injury and off-field issues, which caused him to play 20 games without scoring.

However, the 25-year-old appears to be returning to the form he did in 2024 when he won the Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year awards.

Foden played a key role in Wednesday’s win at Accu Stadium, contributing two goals and two assists in five games this season.

Guardiola claimed that “we have already seen Phil in our recent games against Arsenal, Napoli, and [Manchester United], he was really good.

Every player realizes their potential when a team plays better, but not just today.

He perfectly plays in the pockets, but he also gives you something special when he plays a little free.

Foden looked unmatched on the field despite being League One opponent.

He exchanged passes with another debutant, Divine Mukasa, and drilled in an unerring finish that matched his trademarks against the Terriers.

The 25-year-old was determined to showcase his talents by conducting the play by spraying the ball around team-mates as he played his fourth game in 11 days.

Savinho scored the winning goal in the second half to advance to the fourth round of the competition, where City will face Swansea in the championship. He demonstrated excellent awareness when he laid the ball off.

Former England international Sue Smith remarked on BBC Radio 5 Live that “Phil Foden was instrumental in everything Manchester City did.”

“It’s great to see him playing this level again. He had a difficult last season due to injuries and other issues, but when he was at his best, he was unstoppable.

Rico Lewis, a teammate, claimed Foden’s success on the pitch is being attributed to his happiness.

“Everyone has seen how talented he is,” Lewis said. He has his confidence back, and the goals come along with it, he says.

He simply needs to keep doing what he is doing, and that includes being happy because he does so well.

Before the international break, Foden will be hoping to impress more and earn a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad by hosting Burnley on Saturday, followed by trips to Monaco and Brentford.

Foden has 45 caps for the Three Lions, with the final one coming against Latvia in March.

For the first time since December 19th, 2023, England midfielder Kalvin Phillips was wearing a City shirt for the first time at the Club World Cup, which Guardiola described as a “good moment.”

On Wednesday, Phillips became the second-generation father of Ari, taking the family on a trip to Huddersfield from London.