Lammens admits 'difficult weeks' at United after Keane and Young criticism

Senne Lammens has conceded that he has endured “difficult weeks” at Manchester United this season, speaking out for the first time after Roy Keane and Ashley Young publicly questioned his form following the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. United sit 18th in the Premier League on eight points — their worst start to a season in 40 years — and the scrutiny on the 24-year-old Belgian has intensified with every passing fixture.

Lammens was judged to be partly at fault for two of the goals conceded against Villa on Sunday, with Alysson and Nicolas Jackson both finding the net within four minutes. Young suggested the keeper “hasn’t been the same since that mistake at the World Cup”, while Keane stated bluntly that “Lammens has cost Man United points on several occasions in recent weeks” and that “few keepers at United have bounced back after such a performance”.

Speaking while on international duty with Belgium, Lammens did not shy away from the reality of the situation. “I try to remain stoic,” he said. “I avoid as much as possible everything that is said and written, but given the situation Manchester United is in, that is not always easy. They have been difficult weeks. I won’t lie. Keeping a distance and putting things into perspective is not always easy.”

The goalkeeper also offered a measured take on what the season has meant for his personal profile. “Am I happy that I could show myself to England? I am mainly happy that I could show myself to Belgium,” he added.

Lammens has yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, a statistic that underlines the broader defensive fragility at Old Trafford. The poor form ultimately cost Michael Carrick his job, with the manager sacked on Thursday morning just months into the two-year deal he signed over the summer. Mauricio Pochettino has since been appointed as his successor.

The November international break has given Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Jason Wilcox, and Omar Berrada a moment to regroup before the season resumes. Lammens, meanwhile, played a part in Belgium’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Turkey on Thursday evening, providing at least a brief respite from the turbulence at club level.