Belgian media hailed Senne Lammens for his "excellent" Nations League performance against Turkey on Friday. The Manchester United shot-stopper had faced criticism leading up to the 3-0 win, particularly from club legend Paul Scholes.
Lammens' rise at Manchester United
Lammens touched down in England from Royal Antwerp last year, snapped up by United for an initial £18.2million. Whilst he wasn't instantly first choice, he was soon trusted as the club's No. 1 and did not disappoint. In his debut Premier League campaign, he kept eight clean sheets and made 79 saves in 32 games. Despite conceding 39 goals, he was named the top-flight's Transfer of the Season as his side finished third.
However, at the start of this campaign, his abilities have been called into question. Lammens made a costly quarter-final error at the World Cup that all but sent Belgium home and so far for United, he hasn't kept a clean sheet in the league, conceding eight and making a mess in a 1-1 draw against Fulham. Scholes claimed "the jury's still out" on whether the 24-year-old is world-class.
Response on the pitch
Lammens hit back at the evaluation ahead of the Nations League Group A1 clash against Turkey and said: "You have to be mentally strong and self-confident in the face of all those people who express their opinions." The goalkeeper then produced a perfect response on the pitch, making a series of impressive saves and keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 win. The press in Belgium were impressed.
Before the Turkey win, Lammens had started both of Belgium's other two Nations League ties. These included a 2-0 win against Italy, in which he was equally as awe-inspiring, and a narrow 1-0 loss to France, whom they face again on Monday.
Belgian media verdicts
The Flemish daily outlet Het Nieuwsblad expressed admiration for Lammens after Friday's win and noted that this is now the third consecutive match in which the goalkeeper has played exceptionally well. It rated Lammens a 7/10 for his exploits against Turkey and wrote: "He proved for the third match in a row that he is worthy of the national coach's trust. Saves what he needs to save and as a goalkeeper, that gets you a long way."
Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and Romelu Lukaku bagged a decisive third against Turkey. But the match could have been a lot closer were it not for Lammens, who logged seven official saves, including stopping multiple strikes from Real Madrid's Arda Guler.
Dutch-language publication Het Laatste Nieuws also handed him a 7/10 rating and noted in its report: "His second clean sheet in three matches. Kept alert, including on an attempt by Guler. He also exuded composure on the ball. He ran the entire pitch to celebrate with De Bruyne for the second goal. Excellent save on a free kick in the closing stages."
Voetbal Primeur rated Lammens 8/10 for his stops versus Turkey and penned: "It was immediately striking how much noise could be heard in the stadium. The Turkish away fans, in particular, made themselves heard, booing the Red Devils whenever they had possession."
"Another excellent match from Lammens. The goalkeeper was there when Belgium needed him and confirmed the confidence he was given. It was not an easy win, even though the final score might suggest otherwise."
"With this victory, Mark van Bommel's Red Devils have achieved six out of nine points in the Nations League. The return match against France awaits on Monday."
In the closing stages, De Bruyne picked up a yellow card for his reaction following a foul. Due to the yellow card, Belgium will have to do without him against France. Earlier against Turkey, captain Youri Tielemans also picked up a yellow card, meaning the duo is suspended.
