Keane and Scholes round on Lammens as United goalkeeper's errors mount in Bournemouth defeat

Senne Lammens is facing a mounting crisis of confidence after Roy Keane singled out the Manchester United goalkeeper as a liability following Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Bournemouth, with Paul Scholes adding his own doubts about the 24-year-old’s long-term suitability at Old Trafford.

Lammens was at fault for Bournemouth’s third goal when he rushed off his line to collect a pass over the top, only to be beaten to the ball by Evanilson, who finished into an empty net. It was not an isolated lapse: Rayan had already beaten him at his near-post for the opener, and a Leny Yoro error compounded matters for the second.

“Going back to Manchester United, the goalkeeper is costing them, isn’t he? He was very good last year,” Keane said on the Stick to Football podcast, drawing a sharp contrast between Lammens’ debut campaign and his form across the first eight league games of the current season.

Scholes, speaking separately on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast last month, framed the question in broader terms. “What team have you seen win the Premier League without a top-class goalkeeper? Lammens might be that, I don’t know, I think the jury’s probably still out on that,” he said. “You think of Liverpool’s team with Alisson, City’s teams, Raya at Arsenal. Man United with Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar. They’ve all got brilliant, brilliant goalkeepers. You start from the back, of course you do.”

Lammens arrived at United for £18 million, brought in by Ruben Amorim, and was integral to the club securing Champions League qualification under Michael Carrick. His reputation took a significant hit at the World Cup, however, when an error contributed directly to Belgium’s elimination by Spain — and Keane’s comments suggest that fragility has followed him into the new domestic season.

The comparison to recent Premier League precedents is uncomfortable for United. David Raya displaced Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal after only a brief transition period, while James Trafford was replaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma at Manchester City within weeks of the season starting. Whether United’s hierarchy would move as decisively on a goalkeeper signed just over 12 months ago remains to be seen.

For now, the goalkeeper question is one of several pressing concerns at the club, with issues spread across the squad, the dugout, and the boardroom. Carrick’s future remains unresolved, though United’s leadership has given him the opportunity to arrest the slide. The next chance comes at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.