Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has responded calmly to renewed scrutiny from Paul Scholes, making clear that outside opinion will not unsettle him.

Scholes questioned whether the Belgian is ready to carry a side with title ambitions, arguing that elite goalkeepers are central to Premier League success. He said: “What team have you seen win the Premier League without a top-class goalkeeper?” Scholes added: “Lammens might be that, I don’t know, I think the jury’s probably still out on that.”

Lammens, now away from United and with Belgium, did not appear troubled by the comments. He used the moment to underline the mindset that helped draw United to him in the first place, saying: “I have not changed character by playing football at Manchester United,” he laughed. “You have to be mentally strong and self-confident in the face of all those people who express their opinions. I can imagine that this is not easy for everyone.

“I love playing all those Premier League matches. Premier League, Nations League … that doesn’t feel any different.”

His appeal has always rested on a straightforward approach. Signed in 2025 as the contrast to André Onana, Lammens was viewed by United as a goalkeeper who could provide calm and security after a spell marked by frustration.

That has not meant a spotless record. He has made mistakes of his own, including a costly error at the World Cup that contributed to Belgium’s quarterfinal exit. Even so, the 24-year-old has moved on quickly and continues to be regarded as dependable.

Belgium manager Mark van Bommel offered a similar assessment, saying: “Senne’s strength is that he always remains the same regardless of the circumstances,” van Bommel reflected. “That’s his character and his quality.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has offered a blunt assessment of Erik ten Hag, praising the manager’s tactical work while criticising his handling of players during a difficult spell at the club.

Fred, who featured in Ten Hag’s first season in charge, said the Dutchman stood out for his football intelligence and the way he set teams up. But he also argued that the atmosphere around the squad deteriorated because of the manager’s approach with the group.

“There are coaches who are very good tactically, but very bad with the group,” Fred told the Charla Podcast . “Then there are coaches who are very good with the group and are tactically c—.

“For example, [Ole Gunnar] Solskjær, he was very good with the group, but tactically … well, he had [Michael] Carrick and [Kieran] McKenna as his assistants. They both went to the Championship, two former players who managed to get promoted with their teams. They helped a lot, but [Solskjær] was more about uniting the group.

“Then I worked with Ten Hag. Ten Hag was, tactically, a very good guy. Very intelligent. But with the group, he was a piece of c—. He couldn’t manage it, man, he’d fight with everyone.

“He fought with Cristiano [Ronaldo], he fought with Casemiro, then he fought with me, with [Marcus] Rashford … that’s rough. The guy lost the locker room.

“He wouldn’t play me! Sometimes it got stressful. Only his Dutch players played. A clique-driven coach. But he was, tactically, one of the best I’ve worked with. The team on the field was very good.”

Fred also revisited the tensions involving Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to Old Trafford before Ten Hag’s appointment. The midfielder said the striker was still scoring when the new manager arrived, but the demand for the team to work harder off the ball changed the relationship between them.

“He wasn’t playing Cristiano,” Fred recalled. “Cristiano was doing well, scoring goals, then [Ten Hag] arrived and he wanted the team to run. Cristiano is older, we had to run for him there. It’s normal, but he didn’t want that, so he went and benched Cristiano. There was some drama.

“Then there was a game, all the guys were asking if Cristiano was leaving. There was nothing we could do. Then we got back from the game, as soon as the plane landed and the press guys switched their phones off of airplane mode … that was when he gave the interview where he really criticized the club.”

The September and October international windows were meant to ease the strain of the autumn schedule, but they have instead added to it. Across a long list of top-level names, the break delivered fresh fitness concerns for clubs already bracing for a demanding 2026/27 campaign.

Manchester United were among the hardest hit. Before the break even began, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo withdrew from England duty, while Benjamin Šeško also pulled out with Slovenia. Matters deepened as the window went on, with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus saying Bruno Fernandes was “playing through pain” with a “complicated” injury that ruled him out against Norway. Fernandes remained with the national side and has since recovered. Patrick Dorgu was not as fortunate, returning to Manchester after a hamstring injury with Denmark, while Noussair Mazraoui also picked up a problem in Morocco’s win over Lesotho.

Arsenal had their own worries. Declan Rice withdrew from England’s squad before matches against Spain, Croatia and Czechia, and Kai Havertz later suffered a hamstring issue while with Germany. Martin Ødegaard was also unsettled after a challenge from Portugal’s Bernardo Silva, then missed training before Norway faced Wales, although he stayed with the squad. Ezri Konsa was not training ahead of England’s meeting with Czechia and was an unused substitute in the 2–0 win, though he remained with the team.

Kylian Mbappé provided the biggest scare of the break when he appeared to suffer a knee injury for France and played only 59 minutes before leaving the squad. The positive for Real Madrid is that he appears to have avoided a major setback and is expected back for domestic action. Ibrahima Konaté also sustained a knee injury with France, described by the French Football Federation as “mild.”

Barcelona were again affected when Raphinha suffered a thigh injury in Brazil’s 4–2 win over Australia and returned to Catalonia. Eric García also withdrew after a knee issue with Spain.

Liverpool, too, had reason for concern when Alexander Isak lasted only one game for Sweden before coming back to Merseyside with a thigh issue.