“One of my things”: United ace explains the key trait that has made him indispensable this season

Senne Lammens may have been Manchester United’s least glamorous signing last summer, but he has quickly emerged as one of their most important players. The Red Devils invested heavily in the squad at the end of last season, following a 15th-place finish in the Premier League. INEOS’ primary focus was on adding more firepower to the faltering frontline, which had managed just 44 goals in 38 league games. United signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, both established faces in the Premier League, for the job. The English giants also secured the signature of highly rated young striker Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, investing over £200 million in the attack alone. However, a new goalkeeper was also on United’s agenda, following the struggles of Andre Onana and his deputy Altay Bayindir. After considering a move for World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez, the Red Devils finally settled on the relatively unknown Lammens, securing his signature on deadline day from Royal Antwerp. That decision is quickly looking like a masterstroke. Lammens’ impact at Old Trafford If there were any doubts about Lammens, those were soon dispelled after he registered United’s first clean sheet of the season on his debut against Sunderland in October last year. Since then, the Belgian has played every minute of every game so far and has made several top-class saves. His crucial double saves against Tottenham Hotspur in November last year and his double save against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December remain vivid in fans memories. Lammens was also on song in the 3-2 win against Arsenal in January, while his instincts kept the Red Devils in the game against West Ham United earlier this month before they secured a last-gasp equaliser. As United waded through the chaos of former head coach Ruben Amorim’s turbulent reign, the 23 year old proved to be a calming presence at the back. The Belgian has registered two clean sheets in the last five games under caretaker manager Michael Carrick, who replaced the Portuguese head coach last month. Senne Lammens Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsGoals ConcededClean SheetsMinutes Played Premier League20—-2641,800′ Jupiler Pro League4—-4-360′ FA Cup1—-2-90′ Total25—-3242,250′ Source: Transfermarkt. Lammens recently hailed the Old Trafford atmosphere as one of the best he has played in. He is one of five Belgian or Dutch goalkeepers in the Premier League at the moment, and he has now discussed the recent rise of custodians from the Low Countries. The importance of staying calm Speaking recently to United’s website, Lammens insisted that Belgium and the Netherlands have traditionally produced good goalkeepers. He said: “If you also see the national teams, I think, in general, the goalkeeper quality in those countries is quite high.” “So I think it’s no surprise for me that a lot of goalkeepers from Belgium and the Netherlands play in the Premier League now. It’s nice to see as well that, from a young age, they try to work with the goalkeepers and that it pans out well with the people coming through.” “I think we have always had a couple of the best keepers in the world in Belgium – Thibaut Courtois, whom I train with in the Belgium team, is a big example as well, as to how big Belgian goalkeeping is in the world. So I hope I can get my career going and to also maybe get to the point of that.” Lammens also acknowledged the importance of calmness as a personality trait for a goalkeeper, adding: “Yeah, it probably is actually. I think with Belgian people, sometimes Dutch people as well, although sometimes they can be quite open and quite different to me, for example.” “But I would say so. It’s one of my things, I think one of my biggest qualities as well is to try to bring calm and peace to the defence. So, yeah, you could say that it’s maybe also a Belgian thing.” “I think being calm and steady and collected is one of the things that most managers and clubs look at in a goalkeeper, because it’s one of the most difficult positions. So you want to get, like, trust in your goalkeeper and I hope I can do that as well, in the future. I think I’ve done a pretty good job at it in these past games.” Final Thoughts Lammens’ performances suggest that United’s goalkeeping position is sorted out for a while. The Belgian’s impressive start could also be the final nail in the coffin for Onana, who is currently on loan to Trabzonspor but looks likely to leave Old Trafford permanently this summer. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.