Manchester United lands top Belgian goalkeeping prospect Lammens

Manchester United has completed the signing of highly-rated Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for an initial €21 million (£18.1m). The 23-year-old arrives at Old Trafford on a five-year deal, becoming the latest addition to the Red Devils' squad in their ongoing rebuild.

"I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United. It is a real dream come true," said Lammens, who helped Royal Antwerp win the Belgian Super Cup in 2023. "The past few years have been an amazing journey, it's now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special."

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Lammens' arrival comes as United looks to solve its problems in the goalkeeping department. The club's current keepers, Altay Bayindir and André Onana, have both made costly errors since joining in 2023. Onana, the former number one, was at fault for a goal in a recent EFL Cup loss, while Bayindir has also shown moments of instability in the Premier League. The acquisition of Lammens signals United's intent to bring in a long-term solution.

According to Manchester United's director of football Jason Wilcox, Lammens was a top target due to his potential and has joined despite significant interest from several other clubs. His signing meant United ended their pursuit of Aston Villa's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, a more experienced but also more expensive option.

Why Lammens is a top talent

Lammens' performance in Belgium has been nothing short of impressive. Last season, he led Europe's top ten leagues with 173 saves, and his four penalty saves were also a league-high. A Belgian journalist for newspaper HLN, Axel Brisart, describes Lammens as "one of the biggest goalkeeping talents in Belgium" and is convinced he can become a number one at Manchester United.

"His shot-stopping is his biggest quality... He has great feet and his passing is a really big weapon for any team to put some tempo into their play," said Brisart, though he noted that Lammens will need time to adapt to the pressure of a club of United's size.