Senne Lammens has all the qualities required to become a Manchester United club legend, according to Lee Sharpe.
The 23-year-old joined United late in the transfer window after an £18million deal was agreed with Royal Antwerp.
Lammens arrived with a reputation as one of Europe’s best young goalkeepers but he was forced to bide his time before he was drafted into the team by Ruben Amorim.
With Andre Onana sent on loan to Trabzonspor, Amorim initially opted to shield Lammens from the heat of Premier League footballer but had no option but to parachute him into the starting line-up having run out of patience with the error-prone Altay Bayindir.
The Belgium international has hardly put a foot wrong since coming into the team and enhanced his standing with a man of the match display in Monday night’s 1-0 win at Everton that enhanced United’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Sharpe’s former club had struggled to move on from David de Gea but the ex-winger is confident the Red Devils have found the Spaniard’s long-term successor.
‘There’s no reason Senne Lammens can’t be at Manchester United for the next decade and join those legendary keepers the club have had in the past like Peter Schmeichel,’ he told BetBrain.
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‘He’ll only grow in experience, hopefully Champions League football next season can even further that. He’s shown a real calmness and that’s a reassurance to the defence and the rest of the team.
‘It was a shock when he signed as everyone thought that it would be Emi Martinez coming in from Aston Villa.
‘I’d consider him as a world class goalkeeper, so for the club to sign a young, unknown goalkeeper at the time seemed a risk, but he’s been fantastic since he joined.
‘I can see the similarities with Edwin van der Sar. He’s very calm under pressure and his handling in the Everton game was exceptional. There were some tricky saves that he pulled off and he looked safe.
‘It was carnage in the box at corners, but he was commanding and dominated his area.’
While Lammens made an immediate impact, it has taken another summer signing, Benjamin Sesko, a little while longer to win over the United faithful.
Despite largely operating as a super-sub under interim boss Michael Carrick, Sesko has scored six goals in his last seven games, including the winner at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.
On the improving United centre forward, Sharpe added: ‘I can see Benjamin Sesko making the centre forward position at Manchester United his for years to come.
‘He’s got unbelievable ability and gets around the pitch well – he left James Tarkowski for dead for his goal!
‘He’s got the aerial ability and the strength; he’s got all the attributes but still may just be a little raw.
‘I think he will be United’s number nine for years to come. I can see the way that the game sets up later on suits him, it’s more open and he gets more clear-cut chances.
‘I’m sure Michael Carrick and his staff are working with him in training on composure, holding the ball up and bringing his teammates into the game.
‘I think it’s a harsh tag to give him the super sub and I don’t think the manager and his staff see him as that long term; it’s just the role he’s playing at this moment in time.’
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