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United supporters certainly know how to display their sense of humour.

Drawing parallels between rookie the Belgian keeper, with only one full season of senior football in the Belgian Pro-League, to one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club's past is quite a leap.

Yet the United supporters singing "are you Schmeichel in disguise?" towards the end of his first match reflected their eagerness to discover a new option to the existing goalkeepers as it did about Lammens.

Expectations around the goalkeeping situation among the fan base have declined to such an extent that a simple catch was greeted with loud cheers.

And a initial zero conceded of the campaign did not come without its errors.

The keeper's charge from his area in the second half to attempt to claim a loose ball that also involved his skipper Bruno Fernandes and the Sunderland man was risky and might have ended disastrously.

Instead, after the attacker had got to the ball first, taking Lammens out of the game, the visiting attacker was cautioned for going down easily.

Such incidents will clearly need to be eliminated of the keeper's approach quickly with the trip to Anfield the following match then hosting Brighton.

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

Currently, however, Lammens can depart for international duty able to reflect on the key stops he made.

His initial stop, a reaction block to prevent the opponent's long-range effort that was heading for the corner, showed the keeper's reflexes.

Later in the match, he stood tall and refused to give himself away when Chemsdine Talbi bore down on him, repelling the attacker with his lower body.

This displayed a self-belief and ability that is missing from the alternative and made you ponder why boss the United boss delayed his introduction following his multi-million pound transfer from the Belgian side to introduce him to the team.

“Initially, upon Senne's arrival, Altay was in goal,” the manager explained,

“It became clear he required time to adjust. New surroundings, different coaching methods.

“The pressure you guys [the media] put on the goalkeeper is massive, hence some preparation was necessary to be ready to start his first game.

“However, this is only a single match and he must continue to improve. He must stay prepared as the standards here are exceptionally tough.

“His display was solid and he appeared confident in the match. This is an encouraging indicator.”

Ex-Toffees player Leon Osman was providing analysis for the match for a national radio station and suggested the United boss was correct to hold off before putting Lammens in the team.

“The decision to avoid rushing him in was wise,” he said. “You have to let him get a sense of the place, familiarise himself with the ground, understand the league, build relationships with colleagues, so passes are delivered to his stronger side.

“These minor details, simply to build understanding, preventing them from making a risky pass in a tough game, with the fans likely to react strongly.

“Now they are familiar with him. This was an opportunity to ease him into that Manchester United goal.”

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It was clear, notably in the latter period, that the keeper was instructed to play long balls towards the strikers.

Opta recorded 86.4% of the keeper's attempts were forward, against just over half on typical by his competitor so far this campaign.

The visiting coach Regis Le Bris understood why the coach encouraged his new goalkeeper to use that strategy.

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

“Clearly, any side under duress will avoid risks. It worked well in their favour.”

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

The keeper's debut was one of a several encouraging signs for Manchester United.

The team has secured three consecutive home victories for the maiden instance since 2022.

That first clean sheet is crucial and if results elsewhere fall in their favour they may start the pause for national teams in the top half of the table.

Yet the coach, who went into the game under intense scrutiny amid varying accounts about the owner's backing for him, needs much more.

The journey to Anfield on the upcoming date has the potential – once more – to mark the Red Devils winning two consecutive Premier League games for the first time in well over a year.

They have faced this scenario previously in the campaign, traveled to opponents, to the Etihad and the Gtech, and suffered losses.

“We are not building momentum,” commented the boss. “The cycle following a win is familiar. It's disappointing not to witness identical performances home and away.”

Amorim needs to achieve a run of victories to win over the board and the fans he can produce the meaningful impact United were looking for when they employed him last season.