Old Trafford hasn't had a lot to get excited about this season. Manchester United have started a new season under Ruben Amorim looking sluggish and frustrating. Saturday's victory against Sunderland comes as the first genuinely comfortable victory all season, and was met with jubilation from fans around the ground and online.
It is telling that one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon, barring goals from Mason Mount and new boy Benjamin Sesko, came when Senne Lammens leapt off his line during a Sunderland set-piece and claimed a high cross. It's a sight that has been disturbingly rare at Old Trafford, with goalkeepers Altay Bayindir, Andre Onana and even David De Gea all struggling to control their box when a cross or corner arrives in years gone by.
With Onana now on loan at Trabzonspor and likely out the door for good, the fight for the number one goalkeeper spot is now genuinely contested. Amorim's trust seems to have been in Turkish number one Altay Bayindir from the start of the season, but with a high-profile error in the season opener against Arsenal, an error which eventually cost his team a deserved point, it seems to have waned. Bayindir's confidence has clearly been low all season, and Lammens delivered a contrasting performance: he was authoritative, calm, and walked away with a deserved clean sheet on debut.
Lammens' performance was clearly popular, with Matthijs De Ligt and Harry Maguire embracing him at full-time on Saturday. It leaves Ruben Amorim with a huge decision to make when the international break comes to a close, and Manchester United travel to Anfield to face defending Premier League champions Liverpool.
It's hardly a happy hunting ground for United: in the last four games at the ground, United have conceded 13 goals to the Reds, including a dismal 7-0 loss under Erik Ten Hag two years ago. Shoving a young, inexperienced goalkeeper into a game against United's biggest rivals is equivalent to throwing a non-swimmer into the deep end.
On the other hand, picking Bayindir could also be a dire decision. Bayindir is mistake prone, and a liability from set pieces. You can almost picture the scene: a corner comes in, Bayindir is sandwiched between imposing centre-backs Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk, chaos unfolds with embarrassing defending, and the ball is bundled into the United net.
You could argue that Amorim has made his selections knowing that Lammens was the long-term number one. Lammens had only had one full season of football, and it was in the Belgian Pro League with a team that faced a lot of shots.
His time at Antwerp, who finished 5th with Lammens as first choice, was defined by incredible stats: he ranks 1st out of all keepers in Europe's top ten leagues for both crosses stopped (11.2%) and for save percentage (81.4%) according to fbref.com. But playing at Manchester United is a big jump up, let alone as a goalkeeper. It's a role Gary Neville once called "the toughest position in football". Giving Lammens a little time to settle in, before giving him the gloves in comparatively low-stakes game like newly-promoted Sunderland might turn out to be smart management.
The fact is, managing goalkeepers at Manchester United is all about confidence. Altay Bayindir looks to severely lack it right now. Senne Lammens looks to be brimming with it, at least as much as can be expected from a young goalkeeper thrust into a major role.
At this stage in his managerial tenure, Ruben Amorim has to go big. Bayindir has lost the confidence of the fans, and also the confidence of his defenders. Lammens has only played 90 minutes, but he proved to be a more calming influence than Bayindir or Onana had been all season.
Liverpool may just be there for the taking come next week. They've lost their last three games, and second-season syndrome might just be falling over Anfield. The players, the fans and the manager need a trustworthy pair of hands in goal. Right now, Senne Lammens is Amorim's best hope, not just to get a result against Liverpool, but maybe even to hang on to his job.
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