Ruben Amorim’s £18m signing will ‘help Man Utd win the Premier League’ | Football

Mark Bosnich believes a bargain Ruben Amorim signing will help Manchester United return to their former glories and win the Premier League for the primary time within the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

The Red Devils spent almost £200m on three attacking players last summer, bringing Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko to Old Trafford.

But Bosnich reckons Amorim’s last signing of the summer – Senne Lammens – has ‘solved a giant piece of the puzzle’ for United and might be the ‘foundation’ of a ‘title-winning side’.

Manchester United spent an initial £18.2m to sign Belgium goalkeeper Lammens from Royal Antwerp on transfer deadline day.

Lammens was expected to challenge for a spot within the team over the course of this season but quickly established himself as Amorim’s No. 1 ahead of Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana, who was sent out on loan.

United have been removed from tight on the back this season – conceding 26 goals in 16 league games, including 4 in Monday’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth – but Bosnich has nevertheless been impressed by Lammens.

Bosnich expects Lammens to be his former club’s ‘long-term keeper’ and says the 23-year-old ‘reminds him’ of superstar shot-stopper Thibault Courtois.

‘Playing within the Premier League catches quite a lot of foreign keepers out once they first arrive,’ Bosnich told the Each day Mail. ‘It’s completely different.

‘It’s the fastest, it’s probably the most intense, it’s probably the most difficult by way of the aerial challenge. And also you don’t get the protection from referees that you just do on the continent.

‘But Lammens has been outstanding since he arrived. Look, Peter [Schmeichel] and Edwin [van der Saw], they’d their tough moments, as you do over a time period.

‘But they backed up their talent with a series of outstanding performances and I consider Lammens is already showing that he has that form of talent, too.

‘Onana was excellent at Inter. They’d just got to the Champions League final with Inter. But he also had sensible defenders in front of him there. He was very, thoroughly protected.

‘After which he got here to United and he didn’t have that situation in front of him and he wasn’t as well protected and you’ve the combative type of the Premier League and Onana struggled to claim himself.

‘I don’t see Lammens having those problems. He’s only 23 but he’s already proved he can take care of whatever’s thrown at him.

‘He’s very, superb together with his feet. He jogs my memory a little bit of Thibault Courtois, who’s Belgian as well, after all. He has settled in in a short time.

‘He’s young but I believe United have gotten their long-term keeper now. He’s already adjusted to the pace and dynamic nature of the English game.

‘The incontrovertible fact that there’s a precedent for him, that Courtois succeeded at Chelsea, goes to be necessary, too.’

Bosnich, who played for Aston Villa and Chelsea in addition to Manchester United, added: ‘His shot-stopping is nice and he is nice on the ball.

‘But I believe that is the important thing: there may be quite a lot of talk now about how necessary set-plays have change into within the Premier League and which means it’s equally necessary that you’ve a goalkeeper who just isn’t intimidated by set-plays.

‘The thing I actually like about Lammens is that he dominates his box. Going way back, Bruce Grobbelaar was exceptional at doing that in those great Liverpool sides of the Nineteen Eighties and Schmeichel was, too.

‘It’s so necessary for a keeper to have that quality since it inspires confidence in your complete defence. Should you know he’s going to come back, that creates certainty in a defence.

‘It lifts the performance of your complete back 4. It even spreads confidence in the group and that may transmit itself to the players.

‘As of late, defenders don’t mind anything on the bottom. That’s what they’re built for. That’s what they’re equipped for.

‘Defenders are skilful and so they are quick. However it’s when teams start playing high balls in that it gets difficult. And that’s why Lammens might be so necessary.

‘It’s a giant piece of the puzzle that they’ve solved together with his signing. The uncertainty across the goalkeeping position was an obstacle to the progress United must make.

‘Now that they’ve found an answer in Lammens, I believe it will probably help to be the muse for them finally to have one other title-winning side.’

Manchester United haven’t won the Premier League since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, ending as little as fifteenth last season.

United have twice finished as runners-up on this fallow period, doing so under Jose Mourinho in 2017-18 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

An entertaining but ultimately frustrating 4-4 draw with Bournemouth last trip leaves the Red Devils sixth within the Premier League, two points outside the Champions League places.

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