After Manchester United’s second game of the Premier League season with Altay Bayindir on the line and Andre Onana as a backup, it was a worried Gary Neville who summed up the goalkeeping situation: “There is an obvious problem for Manchester United that cannot be ignored and that is that they have to find a new goalkeeper. They have to, and I totally agree with that,” the United legend told Sky Sports. City rival City sign the world’s best goalkeeper in Donnarumma, Man United will solve the situation with a 23-year-old from the Belgian league. Giant mistake, or stroke of genius?
According to The Guardian, Senne Lammens is ready to complete a £17 million transfer to Manchester from Royal Antwerp before the summer window slams shut on September 1. So this happens. Having spent over £200 million on the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, there is not much that can be devoted to a new goalkeeper. Goal draws an analysis that should nevertheless create optimism among United supporters.
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“Naturally, Lammens has been compared to Courtois because of his impressive height of 193cm and agility, and former Anderlecht goalkeeper coach Frank Boeckx is among those who believe he can become Belgium’s best goalkeeper in the long term: “He still has a year or two to develop. His next club probably won’t be Barcelona or Real Madrid, but I wouldn’t rule out that after a while he could reach the level Courtois is at now,” Boeckx told Belgian outlet La Derniere Heure.
“It would be a dream scenario for United, given that Courtois has been the best goalkeeper on the continent for almost 10 years now. Lammens certainly exudes a similar authority in his backline and leads by example when his team comes under pressure. To reach the same heights as Courtois, Lammens just needs to improve his decision-making and avoid the small lapses in concentration that are always punished on the biggest stage. United can provide him with the necessary coach to iron out the flaws in his game, and if he gets off to a fast start at Old Trafford, it won’t be long before he pushes for Courtois’ place at national team level. He has the potential to be the ‘dominant’ No. 1 United have been missing since the days of Edwin van der Sar, and perhaps the goalkeeper for a long-awaited return to the top of the Premier League table,” the English media outlet said.
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Do we sense light at the end of the dark tunnel?
