Manchester United are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games, having been part of a resurgence with Rio Ferdinand replacing goalkeeper and Senne Lamence becoming number one.
Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United’s turnaround in form is partly down to Senne Lamence’s successful start at Old Trafford, having taken over the No. 1 shirt from Altay Vaindir.
The young shot-stopper was signed as an unknown quantity in the summer as the Red Devils were evaluating options between the sticks, with chief goalkeeper scout Tony Coton pushing for the move. Andre Onana entered the year with question marks over him, but Bindir wasn’t convinced either. Onana was surprisingly released and headed to Türkiye on loan, with Ruben Amorim turning to Ramens.
The Belgian kept a clean sheet on his debut against Sunderland, also helping to end their wait for victory at Anfield. United are currently unbeaten in their last five games with three wins and two draws, with Ferdinand admitting the change in goalkeeper has given the team confidence that wasn’t there previously.
“You can’t talk about our most important player without mentioning the goalkeeper. It’s no coincidence that our form has improved. We have a goalkeeper who I think all the players trust,” he said on his YouTube channel.
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Brian Mbeumo also joined as a summer signing from Brentford and has settled in well, with Ferdinand declaring him one of the best wingers in the league.
“Mbeumo was a joke,” he said. “He’s really stepped in there and become a mainstay. He’s a player who can give you two or three seconds on the ball to relieve pressure. He can score important goals and create chances.”
“I saw Thomas Frank comment about him the other day and say Mbeumo is almost the perfect winger. I think by the end of this season he will be one of the most complete wingers in the Premier League because he can do it all. He just has to do it consistently in a United shirt.”
Matthijs de Ligt scored the equalizer in stoppage time for United, who had taken a point against Tottenham. The Dutchman was far from convincing in his first season, but emerged as a leader on defense.
Ferdinand insisted: “I think Matthijs de Ligt is our best defender this season. He’s been outstanding for us. He scored a last-minute goal the other day (against Tottenham) and he’s adding more goals.”
“His pressing, aggressiveness and willingness to get up to foreign areas of the pitch and defend at the right time was great. His clearances from the box were great.”
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