Manchester United have a new goalkeeper after bringing in Belgian shot-stopper Senne Lammens on a permanent deal this deadline day.
Lammens joins the Red Devils from Royal Antwerp for an initial fee of £18.1 million ($24.5 million) with add-ons included, The Athletic reported. The 23-year-old signed a five-year contract with his new club as he prepares to fight for the starting job under Ruben Amorim.
“I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United; it is a real dream come true. The past few years have been an amazing journey; it’s now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special. You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years. I cannot wait to get to know my teammates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff. This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives,” Lammens said in the announcement.
Since moving to Antwerp two years ago, Lammens made 62 senior appearances for the club, conceding 86 goals while keeping 12 clean sheets. The Man Utd goalkeeping job, once deemed the most difficult position in all of English football by Gary Neville, has been a point of contention in recent years. David de Gea, a club legend, was forced out the door by ex-manager Erik ten Hag as the Dutchman bought his former man at Ajax, André Onana, in 2023.
The Cameroonian keeper, while praised for his quality with the ball at his feet, has been heavily criticised for his errors between the posts. A blunder at Grimsby Town in last week’s humiliating Carabao Cup second round exit was just the latest in a long line of gaffes.
Goalkeeper reportedly wasn’t a position Man Utd were planning on addressing this summer unless Onana left the club. Though, links to Gianluigi Donnarumma, Emiliano Martínez and Lammens throughout the window showcased a willingness to improve their options.
Altay Bayındır, Onana’s backup last season, has started all three Premier League games to begin the new campaign. Even though Onana returned to fitness for the start of the season, question marks arose when he was not selected for the opening fixture at home to Arsenal. A Bayındır error from a corner lead to the only goal on the day, which again highlighted the need to bring in a replacement.
Lammens has been called up to the Belgian national team already, but is yet to make his senior debut.
The Belgian joins the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško as notable incomings for United this summer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Add Senne Lammens to Remedy Goalkeeping Woes, Contract Length Revealed.
