Lammens has caught the eye with his performances.
Senne Lammens is not satisfied by the strong start to his Manchester United career, despite thriving amid the physical challenge of playing goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Lammens has impressed since moving to Old Trafford from Royal Antwerp, though his clean sheet in United’s 1-0 win at Everton on Monday was just his fifth of the season.
But Lammens’ performance in the game was highlighted by his composure under an aerial bombardment from the hosts, the Belgian standing out as he continually dealt with the physical challenge presented by those rivalling him for balls into the penalty area.
His reliability has been key in United’s recent upturn under interim manager Michael Carrick, the victory at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium moving the Red Devils into fourth place ahead of Sunday’s clash with Crystal Palace.
While Lammens believes the physicality can get a little over the top, he believes the test posed in that regard plays into his strengths.
“It’s been all season like this. For me, it’s just the way it is. It is (the) Premier League,” said Lammens, who was speaking to reporters on a visit to Partington Central Academy Primary School ahead of World Book Day.
“It’s also physicality and a bit of war in the 16 [penalty area]. It’s also one of my strengths, so sometimes I like the challenge as well.
“Of course, it can get too much sometimes, but everyone has to deal with it. It’s not that only one team does it … and as a goalkeeper, you have to get used to that and train on it as well and then get better at it. I think I’ve been doing a good job at it, so I’ll continue to do that.
“It’s always been a bit of my strength, always, even in Belgium which is less physical but the principals are all the same.
“You have to be kind of big and not easy to be pushed around. Strength-wise you always want to be on top and be the best as possible so. My physical features are positive for those kind of situations.”
Lammens not satisfied with Manchester United start
The exciting thing for United is that Lammens clearly still has a lot of room to grow.
His clean sheet rate of 23.8 per cent ranks 12th of 22 Premier League goalkeepers to have featured in at least 10 games this season. Though that statistic is also a reflection of United’s defensive effort, Lammens’ save rate is also underwhelming.
Indeed, Lammens is tied for 13th with a save rate of 66.7 per cent, keeping out 48 of the 72 shots on target against him.
And, while United are enjoying success on the pitch, Lammens still believes he has plenty to prove.
“I said a couple weeks ago I couldn’t imagine it going any better, but I don’t want to look to the past too much,” he added.
“I mean, it’s great but I still have to prove myself every week. I’m not satisfied by it. I am happy it went well but it’s not the end.”
