Ferdinand: 'MU finally has a reliable last line of defense'

Former star Rio Ferdinand believes that MU has at last found an excellent goalkeeper worthy of trust in Senne Lammens. Ferdinand assesses that Lammens could stay with the club for the next decade and will continue to improve.

MU signed Senne Lammens from Belgian club Royal Antwerp for an initial fee of £18 million on the final day of the 2025 summer transfer window. From the start, doubts were raised about Lammens’ success at Old Trafford. At that time, he had only made 52 appearances in the Belgian Pro League before moving to the Premier League, and questions arose whether he had enough experience, composure, and calmness to immediately become the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

However, the 23-year-old has had a fairly good start at MU so far, and after another impressive performance in the 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on Boxing Day, Rio Ferdinand confidently stated that his former club has solved the goalkeeper issue post-David de Gea.

Ferdinand gave this straightforward comment: "You know, Lammens is a quality addition to this current and future MU squad. He will definitely be MU’s goalkeeper for the next 10 years. He is rock-solid and handles the ball very securely. No flashy moves, just effective work. He has excellent judgment and often rushes out to make precise clearances.

You need a dependable goalkeeper who is a pillar for his teammates, and he is doing that well. MU has been searching for a consistent goalkeeper, someone who can be the mainstay in goal for many years, and from what I see, Lammens is the piece MU has been looking for.”

Back to the win over Newcastle, Lammens truly made a strong impression. He deserved recognition alongside Heaven and Dorgu – the scorer of the only goal that secured MU’s victory over the "Magpies." Lammens made three crucial saves for the Red Devils.

Notably, Lammens’ command of space was the biggest highlight. He successfully caught three aerial balls and recovered possession ten times, significantly easing the defensive pressure. This is the most distinct difference compared to when MU had Andre Onana.