'Are you Schmeichel in disguise?' Lammens serenaded on Man Utd debut

You couldn't accuse Manchester United's fans of lacking a sense of humour.

To compare 23-year-old Senne Lammens, with one full season of senior football behind him in the Belgian Pro-League, to one of the greatest goalkeepers in United's history is a bit of a stretch.

But the Stretford End's rendition of "are you Schmeichel in disguise?" towards the end of Lammens' debut said as much about their desperation to find an alternative to Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana as it did about the new boy.

Expectations around the goalkeeping situation among the fan base have dropped so low a simple catch was greeted with loud cheers.

And a first clean sheet of the season did not come without its mishaps.

Lammens' dash from his goal in the second half to try to win a chase for the ball that also involved his skipper Bruno Fernandes and Bertrand Traore was ill advised and might have ended disastrously.

Instead, after Traore had got to the ball first to take Lammens out of the game, the Sunderland man was booked for diving.

These moments will clearly need to be ironed out of Lammens' game quickly with Liverpool away the next fixture followed by Brighton at home.

'He needs to be prepared - in our club things are really hard'

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 BBC 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."

It was clear, especially in the second half, that Lammens was instructed to attempt long passes towards the forwards.

Opta recorded 86.4% of Lammens' 44 passes were long, compared to just 56.5% on average by Bayindir so far this season.

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris understood why Amorim encouraged his new goalkeeper to use that tactic.

"It is impossible to stop if they go direct," he said.

"It is obvious all teams, when they are under pressure, will not take risks. It was really positive for them."

'Players don't want to change coach all the time'

Lammens' introduction was one of a number of positives for United.

They have now won three home games in a row for the first time in over two years. That first clean sheet is important and if results elsewhere go their way they may enter the international break in the top half of the table.

Yet Amorim, who went into the game under huge pressure amid conflicting reports about Sir Jim Ratcliffe's support for him, needs much more.

The trip to Liverpool on 19 October has the potential – again – to mark United winning two consecutive Premier League games for the first time in well over a year. They have been in this position twice already this season, gone away from home, to Manchester City and Brentford, and lost.

"There is no momentum," said Amorim. "We know what happens when we win one game. The frustration is not to see the same team at home and away."

Amorim needs to get a sequence of positive results to persuade the hierarchy and the fans he can deliver the meaningful impact United were searching for when they employed him nearly a year ago.

After Liverpool comes a sequence of fixtures – Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Everton, Crystal Palace - that will determine his future.

Goalscorer Mason Mount said after the game the players are behind Amorim. The former Sporting coach can feel that too.

"I know they want to do their best and I know they don't want to change the coach all the time," said Amorim.

"But like I said during this week, to be with the manager is: 'I will kill myself to go in every transition'. We need to show with actions."