Senne Lammens reveals Michael Carrick’s biggest demand at Manchester United

According to a report by Manchester Evening News on Sunday October 11, 2026, Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has revealed that head coach Michael Carrick has been demanding better defensive performances from his players, particularly when dealing with crosses.

Carrick has repeatedly emphasised the importance of defending as a team, but United’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday showed that the team still has work to do.

United were close to securing a much-needed victory at Old Trafford after taking the lead against a Tottenham side reduced to 10 men. However, Dominic Solanke scored a late equaliser to deny the Red Devils all three points.

The result left United frustrated, having dropped two valuable points in a game they were expected to win, especially after gaining a numerical advantage.

Speaking after the match, Lammens admitted that the late goal was disappointing and stressed the importance of learning from such setbacks.

The Belgian goalkeeper also acknowledged that United must become more consistent if they hope to compete near the top of the Premier League table.

“It’s very disappointing,” Lammens said. “Because you find a way to get the game, to get the advantage, to score a goal, to get one-nil up against ten men, so that’s the position you want to be in.

“So it’s very disappointing to get the last goal against us at the end. We need to learn from it a lot, because these are the games you have to try to pull towards yourself.”

Lammens also explained that Carrick had been placing considerable emphasis on improving the team’s defensive organisation.

“I think sometimes in the end it comes down to maybe here and there, maybe a mistake from someone, but it doesn’t really start with that,” he added.

Despite those instructions, United failed to prevent Tottenham from finding a late breakthrough.

Sandro Tonali was given too much space to deliver the cross that led to Solanke’s equaliser, while Lisandro Martinez struggled to prevent the striker from winning the aerial duel inside the penalty area.

Lammens insisted that United needed to do more to stop the delivery before it reached the box, rather than focusing solely on the final defensive action.

The goalkeeper also dismissed suggestions that a miscommunication between him and Martinez had contributed to the goal.

“I think there wasn’t really a miscommunication,” Lammens explained.

“First of all, I think the cross needs to be stopped. We need to put more pressure on the guy with the ball, because his cross is too easy.”

He acknowledged that Solanke had managed to get away from Martinez during the physical contest before heading the ball into the net.

The draw was another setback for United, who had collected just six points from their opening six Premier League matches, according to the report.

Lammens admitted that the team had shown some encouraging signs but insisted that improved performances must eventually translate into victories.

United will now need to address their defensive weaknesses and improve their ability to protect leads if they are to turn their season around.

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