Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens had a Friday he will never forget in his life. Highs and lows Lammens has enjoyed a very successful first season at Old Trafford, where he has secured the starting spot in goal. Manchester United fans have been impressed by his composure and his ability to dominate his area in a way that his predecessors, Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, could not. As a result, he was called up to the Belgian national team’s World Cup squad and had started every game on the bench. Nonetheless, during his nation’s quarter-final against Spain, he came on for the final 19 minutes after Thibaut Courtois was substituted due to injury. Lammens would have been delighted to get his first action in a World Cup, but that feeling soon turned to despair as he spilled Pau Cubarsi’s shot into the path of Mikel Merino, who gave Spain the lead after 88 minutes. Torn apart Former Manchester United player Zlatan Ibrahimovic was far from impressed and unleashed a barrage of criticism on the 24-year-old. Speaking to Fox Sports in comments carried by Goal.com, he questioned the choice of Belgium coach Rudi Garcia to introduce Lammens after Courtois’ injury. Ibrahimovic exasperated, “I hold the national coach responsible for this defeat. It’s a decision that cost Belgium the match.” The former Sweden international failed to understand why Lammens was brought on instead of Mike Penders. He queried, “why replace Courtois with Senne Lammens from Manchester United, while Mike Penders remains on the bench? Is it because Lammens plays for Manchester United and Penders for Strasbourg? That’s not how you select a goalkeeper for a national team. Especially when you see what happens next.” The outspoken pundit then took a bizarre swipe at the United keeper, claiming, “Lammens isn’t a good goalkeeper at this level. He’s overrated. Penders is much better, and everyone can see it.” It is a strange take, considering Lammens won the Premier League award as the best signing of the season. Finally, the Swede turned his fire once again on the coach and stated, “managing the situation so badly. It’s shameful. Shame on you, national team coach and goalkeeping coach.” Senne Lammens stats vs Spain StatisticValue Expected assists (xA)0 Total saves2 Goals prevented0.11 Punches0 High claims0 Errors leading to goal1 Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)0 (0) Accurate passes7/13 (54%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)2/7 (29%) Passes in own half (acc.)5/6 (83%) Long balls (accurate)3/9 (33%) Touches15 Dribbles (successful)0 (0) Possession lost6 Total carrying distance26.3 m Carries4 Total progression-3 m Def. contributions0 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries2 Ground duels (won)0 (0) Dribbled past0 Total shots0 Shots on target0 Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.
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