Former Premier League winger Micky Gray has called on Manchester United manager Michael Carrick to bring in a more experienced goalkeeper, arguing that it is a big ask for Senne Lammens to handle the demands of Champions League and Premier League football.
Lammens' impressive debut season
Lammens joined United from Royal Antwerp for £18.1m on transfer deadline day last summer. Despite his moderate fee and low profile, the Belgian quickly became first choice under then-manager Ruben Amorim and his successor Michael Carrick, displacing Altay Bayindir. The 24-year-old kept eight clean sheets in 32 Premier League appearances last season, earning praise from former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves as the club's 'signing of the season'.
Gray's call for experience
However, Gray believes United need a more seasoned goalkeeper. 'I’d still personally look at an experienced, quality goalkeeper,' he told talkSPORT. 'And people might go, "well, they’ve got Lamens", who came in and did brilliantly. He’s a young goalkeeper, and I know it worked eventually with David de Gea, who eventually became a sensation at Man United. He was a brilliant goalkeeper, one of the best they’ve ever had. But do you give Lamens the time? Do you give him Champions League football? Do you give him Premier League football as well, two games a week? It’s a big ask.'
Gray added: 'There’s still quite a lot to be done at Manchester United, but I do expect them to be challenging, certainly for the top four again.'
New signings and Lammens' World Cup error
United have already signed Karl Darlow on a free transfer from Leeds United as back-up. Lammens has yet to report for pre-season after his World Cup campaign with Belgium, where he played second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois. His only appearance ended in disappointment when he spilt an effort into the path of Mikel Merino, who scored to give Spain a 2-1 quarter-final victory. Lammens was distraught, but teammate Tom Heaton backed him: 'It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but that’s the life of a goalkeeper. As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that. It is tough, but Senne is very strong mentally. I saw that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with it unbelievably well.'
United have also signed Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans from Chelsea and Aston Villa to bolster central midfield. Gray praised the Tielemans signing: 'It’s obviously early in the transfer window, but I think Youri Tielemans is the signing of the summer. For the price that they’ve gotten for the experience that he brings. I’m not saying he’s the exact same replacement for what Casemiro brought to Manchester United. I thought Casemiro, in the last six months of his Man United career, was absolutely brilliant, and the importance of some of the goals that he brought to Man United were key. But I think Tielemans can certainly bring that. I think he will help with the experience of walking in the dressing room. He’s got that in abundance. I think he’ll help players like Kobbie Mainoo and what he brings to Manchester United certainly improves them. I personally think he does.'
