For now, though, Lammens can go off on international duty able to reflect on the two significant saves he made.
The first, a low stop to deny Granit Xhaka’s long-range effort that was sneaking in, showed Lammens’ agility. For the second, he stood tall and refused to give himself away when Chemsdine Talbi bore down on him, repelling the Morocco international with his legs.
It demonstrated a confidence and competence Bayindir lacks and made you wonder why head coach Ruben Amorim waited four games following Lammens’ £18.1m deadline day move from Royal Antwerp to give him a debut.
“First of all, when Senne arrived here, Altay was playing,” Amorim said,
“Then you could feel it, he needed to adapt. It was a new country, new training.
“The pressure you guys [the media] put on the goalkeeper is massive, so it was a little preparation for him to be ready to start his first game.
“But it is just one game and he needs to work. He needs to be prepared [because] in our club things are really hard.
“He did well and was comfortable during the game. That’s a really good sign.”
Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman was commentating on the game for Radio Five Live and suggested Amorim was right to bide his time before putting Lammens in the team.
“It was a smart move not to just chuck him in,” he said. “You have to let him get a sense of the place, experience the stadium a couple of times, get to know the game, understand your team-mates, so they know which foot you want the ball to.
“It’s all these tiny things, just to get to know your team-mates, so they are not giving you a horrible back pass in a tough game, when the crowd are going to go crazy.
“They have got to know him now. This was an opportunity to ease him into that Manchester United goal.”
