Manchester United: Sene Lammens backs Tom Heaton after World Cup blunder

Tom Heaton is backing Manchester United team-mate Sane Lammens to emerge stronger from his World Cup disappointment.

Lammens was back-up to Thibaut Courtois throughout the tournament until the veteran Belgium goalkeeper was injured in the last 19 minutes of the quarter-final against Spain.

The 24-year-old barely touched the ball before Pau Cubersi’s shot was deflected late in the game, allowing Arsenal’s Michael Merino to head home and give Spain the lead. A 2-1 win.

Lammens was upset at the final whistle and Heaton spoke to the youngster, who was outstanding for United last season. Arrival as unknown relative from Royal Antwerp The likes of Argentina’s Amy Martinez, at £18.1m.

“Yes, I spoke to him,” Heaton said after the Manchester United opener Pre-season defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki.

“It was definitely a challenging moment for him, but that’s the life of a goalkeeper.

“When you put on the gloves and go into the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with it.

“He’ll be stronger for it. I think he has a great personality for a goalkeeper, so there’s no problem there. Like I say, I honestly think it can help him in the long run.”

Lammens is now on a three-week break before returning to pre-season training.

That means he should be back in the first week of August and, in theory, available for Gothenburg’s face-off with Paris Saint-Germain on August 8.

Despite criticism of Lammens for his mistakes in Belgium, at United, confidence in the youngster remains strong.

Carl Darlow, 35, was Sign in as backup At Lammens on 14 July and while Heaton, 40, still sees himself as a player after signing a one-year deal in the summer, his last competitive senior appearance is in February 2023.

“I highly doubt Sene will go into this with fear or concern about what might happen,” Heaton said.

“It can happen at any time. Literally every time you step foot on Earth. If you have that mindset, I’d say it’s more likely to happen.

“Goalkeeper is a position where if something goes wrong it’s going to end in a goal. Goals can change games and lose you. You have to be realistic about it.

“It’s difficult, but Sen is very strong mentally. I’ve seen that from him as a young goalkeeper coming to Manchester United and dealing with it incredibly well.”