Michael Carrick told Ruben Amorim’s £18m signing is ‘not Manchester United level’

Michael Carrick has been warned that Ruben Amorim’s last signing Senne Lammens is ‘not at the level’ of Manchester United.

Belgian goalkeeper Lammens completed an £18.1m move to Old Trafford from Royal Antwerp on transfer deadline day last summer.

United were not expected to sign a new shot-stopper but Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir both endured poor starts to the season, forcing the Red Devils to rethink their transfer plans.

It was initially believed that Lammens, 23, would provide competition for one of Onana or Bayindir, while the other would be offloaded, either on loan or a permanent transfer.

But Lammens immediately impressed Manchester United coaches and soon emerged as Amorim’s first-choice goalkeeper.

The impression Lammens left on those at United ensured Onana was soon offloaded, joining Turkish club Trabzonspor on loan, while Bayindir has been a permanent feature on the bench since September.

Lammens has largely impressed between the posts, proving to be a far more reliable figure than Onana or Bayindir ever were, and even received praise from Sir Alex Ferguson earlier in the season.

But Fergie’s former assistant Rene Meulensteen is yet to be convinced by Lammens and sees ‘some weaknesses’ in the Belgium international.

‘While Senne Lammens has done well, he’s not yet at the level Manchester United needs in terms of personality, leadership, and certain aspects of his goalkeeping,’ he told BetGoat.

‘I still think there are some weaknesses there. Furthermore, you’re not in Europe at the moment, which presents another challenge altogether when you have to play in the Champions League against big teams.

‘For me, every good, successful team that has won trophies had an outstanding goalkeeper, an absolute outstanding goalkeeper.

‘You saw, for instance, the save that Gianluigi Donnarumma made on that deflected shot against Liverpool.

‘Otherwise, Liverpool would have gone ahead again. That’s the kind of save goalkeepers need to make. And I’m not entirely sure whether Lammens is there just yet.’

As for other goalkeepers in the Premier League, Meulensteen has been impressed by Robin Roefs, who has helped Sunderland not only avoid relegation but compete for a top-half finish.

‘Robin Roefs has had a great first season in the Premier League,’ Meulensteen added. ‘But playing for Sunderland is a completely different challenge than playing for Manchester United.

‘He is very good. I know him from Holland because he came through at NEC in Nijmegen, and he has done extremely well to step up the way he has with Sunderland.

‘Sunderland are having an unbelievably fantastic season. You have to give plaudits to Sunderland and everyone working in the background because their recruitment has been spot on, and they have the right manager to make them play in the right way.

‘They are very hard to beat at home. So, they have done great, and Robin Roefs is a massive part of that. Everything starts with solidity at the back, the centre-backs know they have a goalkeeper behind them.

‘He’s a great guy as well, and has a great personality. But who knows? It’s not a surprise that clubs are looking at him, that’s for sure.’

Manchester United, sitting fourth in the Premier League after Michael Carrick’s unbeaten start as caretaker manager, face Everton on Monday night.

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