Even an ordinary photo gives rise to debate: will Senne Lammens survive in this cursed place that everyone is talking about?

“It looks extremely boring and it certainly should stay that way.”

A seemingly normal photo of Senne Lammens’ arrival at the Red Devils went viral during the international break. Under the post on X, which reached more than a million people, fans analyzed their new goalkeeper to the bone.

From his beige outfit to the Birkenstock shoes to the cap to the smile on his face.

Welcome to the crazy world of Manchester United.

Since his impressive transfer and successful debut, the Belgian goalkeeper has become a main topic in the intense debates surrounding the English record champions.

In football, there are few clubs where everything is as closely scrutinized as Manchester United, which has the biggest following in the world after the big Spanish clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Every grain of novelty and every achievement is fried in the pressure cooker that The Red Devils have become.

Analysts and journalists are trampling each other with in-depth analysis of the fallen club, and on social media the flow of content – just think of the Afroman – is unprecedented.

To give you an idea: from the first rumors about Lammens, compilations of more than half an hour with all his saves (but also his blunders) were widely shared and discussed in Antwerp.

Just like on his debut against Sunderland two weeks ago. It was undoubtedly a good thing with excellent interventions, but now no worlds are saving either.

Yet it was enough that many United fans already idolized Lammens. Our compatriot saw his number of followers increase from 10,000 to 580,000.

This typifies the extremes surrounding United.

“And the fact that things have gone so badly in recent years has only increased the power of the attention magnet,” noted Filip Joos, who will soon commentate on the Liverpool clash. “More is written about teams that perform poorly.”

“At United you also have former players who are now experts, like Gary Neville and Roy Keane. Plus Alex Ferguson who is in the stands.

Lammens, 23, also plays in a position where storms have been common in recent seasons. In fact, you can call it one of the most talked about positions in football.

For after the retirement of club legend Edwin van der Sar, there was rarely any peace between the posts at United. First there was the fall of David de Gea, then André Onana disappointed and this season Altay Bayindir did not seize his chance either.

“It is difficult in the current situation to do well individually in Manchester,” says Joos.

“As a goalkeeper it is almost impossible to succeed if the team does not improve quickly. Suppose they finish 12th again, no one will say that Lammens had a fantastic season. In fact, he set himself a Herculean task – first moving to, say, Brighton, would have been easier. But it is very impressive that Lammens dares and does this.”

The question of the million – or 25, in the case of Lammens – is now how our young compatriot will cope with this devastating pressure.

Also in his first major interview on the club’s website, the latest player shared his experience that “every aspect is bigger” at Manchester United.

Yet Filip Joos suspects that the down-to-earth East Flemish is mentally strong enough to cope with this new reality.

“I hear that from people who know him well and I also saw it myself during a few matches in Belgium. The way he reacts after a mistake in front of the cameras in Antwerp… His handling of those moments was close to perfection. His head is on his shoulders. It will have to be that way, because it will be impossible to be completely perfect. Even Peter Schmeichel has made mistakes sometimes.”

In an article from Athleticswho published a large portrait this weekend, also praises Sander Krabbendam – former head of the Club’s young goalkeepers – the frozen rabbit of Lammens.

“Put it in the fire and it will still do its job,” he said.

Furthermore, according to Joos, the goalkeeper must find peace of mind in thinking that this adventure will normally never permanently ruin Lammens’ career.

“If United fail, they won’t end up in the desert,” guarantees the commentator, who points out that the pressure on Old Trafford itself is actually not too great compared to the storm outside the stadium walls.

“As a player, you can play in places much worse than Manchester. Despite all the despair, the fans at Old Trafford continue to support every game. As if the recent past does not exist for them. And that is the first direct pressure you feel as a player. Lammens will find the support of the 60,000 fans at every home game.

This will probably not be the case this evening for his first very big test. At 5:30 p.m., Lammens will play the showpiece match with United against Liverpool.

What does Joos expect from this clash at Anfield?

“This is the kind of game that Amorim wanted to save the newly arrived Manchester City Lammens from. Not because he didn’t have faith in Lammens, but because he didn’t have any in his team. I just don’t know if much has changed since then. I think Liverpool are currently not as strong offensively as City. So there must be something possible for United and Lammens there.”