Manchester United transfer latest are believed to be close to signing Senne Lammens from Antwerp
Altay Bayindir can’t cope with corners, Senne Lammens scores from them.
Manchester United’s interest in the Royal Antwerp goalkeeper is accelerating amid the prospect of bringing the Belgian in to challenge Andre Onana for the number one spot.
The spotlight is often thrust on Old Trafford keepers and last week it shone brightly on Bayindir. Ruben Amorim showed faith in the 27-year-old to hand him the gloves against Arsenal but he flapped badly at an early corner and Riccardo Calafiori headed in what proved to be the only goal of the game.
Amorim defender the Turkey international after the match but deep down the boss must know his number two isn’t up to task. With uncertainty over Onana’s long-term spot as first choice keeper and the dependable if overlooked Tom Heaton approaching 40, there will need to be a reshaping of the goalkeeping department.
Lammens, a 23-year-old who has caught the eye in his homeland, could be the first piece in the jigsaw. Since moving to Antwerp from Club Brugge he has caught the eye, earned international recognition and been linked with a number of top clubs.
United could make a move for the €20million rated keeper and he would bring a calmness and confidence that Onana and Bayndir have failed to offer.
“As a goalkeeper you have to stay calm to instil confidence in your defenders and the rest of the team,” Lammens said in a 2024 interview with Het Nieuwsblad.
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“You’re not supposed to be stressed out between the posts. As a youth player, that happened to me sometimes, but in recent years, it hasn’t bothered me at all.
“They always say that I stay level emotionally. That I’m stable and never go up or down too quickly. I’m happy about that, by the way. I think that’s a good quality for a goalkeeper.”
It’s a quality United have lacked in recent years. The prospect of a calm keeper providing a foundation at the back and a confidence in his team-mates would offer the Reds a cornerstone on which to build.
Sir Alex Ferguson once said a great goalkeeper could be worth 15 points a season. This United are in no position to turn down a chance to improve their tally as they seek to challenge the top six following a dismal 2024-25 campaign.
Lammens is far from the finished article but is a decent distributor – something that United sought out when signing Onana – while the Belgian is a commanding presence in his penalty area and a capable shot stopper.
According to Opta Analyst, Senne Lammens prevented 17.4 goals from being scored in the Belgian Pro League in 2024-25.
And he’s ready for the next step. When he left Brugge in 2023 he spoke about being in his comfort zone and needing a change of scenery. He had to wait for his breakthrough at Antwerp but grasped it with both hands and went from strength to strength. Now he’s eyeing a top European league.
When asked in late July if he was ready to make a move amid United’s interest, he said: “Manchester United are one of the best clubs, yes. But you never know. It could also be a different club, or who knows, I might stay here [grins]. In any case, I try to keep my feet on the ground. When teams like that come along, I think you’ve earned it.
“I certainly have enough confidence in myself. I think the most important thing is that my future team, whenever they arrive, has a plan in place.
“Ideally, that means playing immediately, but it’s also possible I’ll have to take a step in between. As long as there’s a plan, it doesn’t matter whether I’m ready for the next step or not. Everyone has their own career, their own path. Even if I don’t take the right step right away, I’ll get there.”
Lammens next step could be at Old Trafford, it would cap quite the journey for a player who struggled to make the breakthrough at Brugge despite being highly rated coming through the ranks and being named in a Champions League matchday squad at just 16.
He even scored from a corner in a Youth League game against Real Madrid as a teenager in 2019. United will simply settle for him stopping set pieces at the other end.
2025-08-23 05:00:00
