Man Utd legend baffled by summer signing he had 'never heard of'

Ruben Amorim was given a new goalkeeper this summer (Picture: Getty Images)

Peter Schmeichel was not on board with Manchester United’s choice of new goalkeeper over the summer, admitting he had never heard of Senne Lammens.

With Andre Onana falling out of favour, and eventually leaving for Trabzonspor on loan, the Red Devils were in search of a new stopper this summer.

They were linked with Gianluigi Donnarumma , but he joined Manchester City instead, impressing on his Premier League debut for his new club against United.

There were then links with Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but they came to a nothing.

Instead, Manchester United moved for a relatively unknown 23-year-old from Royal Antwerp.

Lammens earned rave reviews in the Belgian top flight last season, but is untested at the top level, having made just one Champions League appearance and remaining uncapped for Belgium.

It is clearly a gamble if the Red Devils make Lammens first choice ahead of the unconvincing Altay Bayindir and Schmeichel would much rather have seen his former club sign an experienced, proven stopper.

Senne Lammens was on the bench against Manchester City last weekend (Picture: Getty Images)

‘We should have signed Emi Martinez,’ Schmeichel told The Sun, through SkyBet . ‘In fact, we should have gone for Gianluigi Donnarumma when we had the chance.

‘With Martinez, everything was lined up and that felt like really good news, because he’s exactly the kind of goalkeeper Manchester United should have.

‘As for Lammens, I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of him until the link came up. I know his stats are excellent across the top ten European leagues. But that was with Antwerp in Belgium, in a team that finished fifth.

Emiliano Martinez was reportedly keen on a move to Old Trafford (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Stats don’t show how you react after a mistake, or how you cope with the pressure of Manchester United. That pressure is unlike anywhere else in football.’

He added that a punt on a youngster is not what Ruben Amorim’s struggling team needed right now.

‘Lammens could turn out to be the best signing ever – but right now, it feels like a hopeful one, and that’s not what United need at this moment in time,’ said the iconic Dane.

Altay Bayindir has not been especially impressive for Manchester United (Picture: Getty Images)

After Lammens arrived it was not clear who would start in goal in the Manchester derby on Sunday but Amorim unveiled his plans beforehand, suggesting that the new signing is one for the future and Bayindir may well remain in the team.

‘Altay is going to continue,’ Amorim said before the derby. ‘It is a different league, different country, different ball. I know that we are in the moment that the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience.