Manchester United Goalkeeper Backed to Bounce Back
Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens is expected to bounce back from his World Cup frustration, according to team-mate Tom Heaton. Lammens was at fault in Belgium's 2-1 quarter-final loss to Spain when he spilt Pau Cubarsi's 25-yard strike into the path of Mikel Merino, who fired into the roof of the net for an 88th-minute winner.
What happened?
Lammens had come off the bench to replace an injured Thibaut Courtois in what was his only appearance at the World Cup. It was a huge moment for the 24-year-old, but Heaton has no doubt that he will bounce back from the disappointment.
Why it matters for Manchester United
Heaton believes that Lammens' personality is fantastic for a goalkeeper, and that he will be stronger for the experience. "It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but I think that's the life of a goalkeeper," Heaton said. "As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that."
What comes next?
Heaton is confident that Lammens will not be affected by the World Cup disappointment and will continue to perform well for Manchester United. "I've certainly seen that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with that unbelievably well," Heaton added. "I highly doubt he'll be going into (the next match) with fear or worrying about what may happen."
Heaton signed a new one-year contract this summer and is set to remain as United's third-choice goalkeeper after the arrival of Karl Darlow, with Altay Bayindir expected to leave. After Michael Carrick guided United to third place and Champions League football to earn the manager's position on a permanent basis, the Red Devils are looking to pick up where they left off next term.
"It feels like we've got some momentum," Heaton said. "Obviously it's been a bit of a strange (pre-season) with the World Cup players sort of drip feeding back into the squad, so that'll be staggered. But it's just about continuing that momentum and making sure we get everyone up to speed as quickly as we possibly can."
Heaton played the first 45 minutes in Helsinki, getting a first-hand view of new signing Andrey Santos' first appearance in red. "I thought he did well," Heaton said. "I think he's been excellent this week in training. He's been good to come and receive the ball, understanding the play, understanding that midfield position, that sort of six role where you understand where the bounces are coming from, how the player is predicting it and putting himself in a position to play forward when he can."
"I've been really impressed with that, he's been sharp, especially early days where everyone's finding their feet a little bit. That's been good, long may that continue.
