MU signs Senne Lammens: Big question mark and Andre Onana lesson

Investing heavily in attack, but MU chose humble goalkeeper Senne Lammens to compete for Onana at a time when Old Trafford was in chaos.

Lammens Question

MU closed the summer transfer window with a controversial deal: buying Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for 21 million euros.

At 23, Lammens has only had one truly outstanding season, so many Red Devils fans are skeptical: will he avoid Andre Onana's mistakes, or become the next failure in the list of high-profile goalkeeper transfers who failed to meet expectations?

Lammens has only been around for one season. Photo: Imago

Lammens started his career at Club Brugge as a regular substitute, was not extended and joined Royal Antwerp as a free agent in 2023.

In the 2024/25 season, he started after a year on the bench (thanks to No. 1 goalkeeper Jean Butez moving to Como) with quite an impressive record: 10 clean sheets, 73.33% save rate, 4 penalty saves. However, Royal Antwerp only ranked 5th in the Belgian National Championship.

Lammens was called up to the Belgian national team for the first time this spring. However, his appearances for the national team have been limited.

Lammens was not in the list of 4 Belgian goalkeepers in the most recent training session, even against weak opponents like Liechtenstein (September 4) or Kazakhstan (September 7) in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Lammens' early 2025/26 form was also not really convincing. Before moving to MU, he played 4 matches, conceded 1 goal each match and Royal Antwerp only won 1.

These figures raise questions about his ability to adapt immediately to the pressure of the Premier League, where every mistake is exposed under the lights of Old Trafford – and is “smashed” by the press and former players.

Joining MU, Lammens entered a chaotic scene. The "Red Devils" were experiencing a series of very bad results: losing 0-1 to Arsenal; drawing 1-1 with Fulham; and being shocked by Grimsby Town - a Fourth Division club - in the first match of the League Cup.

MU only beat Burnley – a new Premier League player – thanks to a penalty scored in the 7th minute of injury time.

The MU goalkeeper position became unstable when Andre Onana was a disaster, and Altay Bayindir also proved that he had the ability to "play comedy", especially with set pieces.

Unable to trust anyone between Onana and Bayindir, MU decided to bring in Lammens as a way to strengthen their goalkeeping position, after failing to reach an agreement with Dibu Martinez on salary.

Pressure Ahead

The pressure at Old Trafford is huge. Lammens has never played in major tournaments like the Premier League , has not made his debut for Belgium after being called up for the first time, and has spent three years as a reserve in the U21 team.

In the Belgian national team, Lammens has not been noticed by head coach Rudi Garcia. He is even losing out to other young goalkeepers, such as Mike Penders - 20 years old, 2m tall, owned by Chelsea and currently on loan at Strasbourg - in the race to become the heir to Thibaut Courtois.

Can Lammens thrive amid the pressure and chaos, or will he become a failed Onana clone?

MU invests in Lammens. Photo: MUFC

Looking back, Andre Onana’s story is a cautionary tale. When he joined Inter Milan and then moved to Manchester United, Onana carried great expectations of his footwork, reflexes and consistency.

However, he has never really met these expectations, causing MU to struggle to find a solution at the No. 1 position. Therefore, Lammens will be closely scrutinized when he makes his debut for the "Red Devils", possibly in the derby at Man City's Etihad Stadium on September 14.

Of course, one also needs to look at the potential. Lammens is young, physically ideal, and has shown outstanding qualities at Royal Antwerp.

If given the opportunity, trained properly and supported mentally, he can absolutely develop into MU's main goalkeeper in the future.

The challenge is not just technical, but also the ability to adapt to the pressure at Old Trafford.

Furthermore, MU's problem this season is not just the goalkeeper position: a series of disappointing results, players losing confidence, while Ruben Amorim's future is uncertain.

In that context, MU and fans demand that Lammens immediately adapt to the new environment and prove his worth in the most attractive football tournament on the planet.

What Old Trafford lacks is patience. There, potential doesn't always translate into success: Jadon Sancho and Antony failed, Alejandro Garnacho was pushed to Chelsea, Kobbie Mainoo polished the bench...

Lammens admires Courtois, but to be like the Real Madrid goalkeeper is a thorny journey.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mu-ky-senne-lammens-dau-hoi-lon-va-bai-hoc-andre-onana-2439010.html