New Manchester United signing Senne Lammens was delighted to recall that he had played against the Red Devils during his spell with Club Brugge.
The Belgian rose through the ranks at FCB before leaving for Royal Antwerp in 2023. After impressing at the Bosuilstadion, Lammens made the move to Old Trafford on transfer deadline day this summer.
The Premier League giants reportedly paid £18.2m for the 23 year old, who is expected to compete with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir for a first-team place.
Lammens faced Tahith Chong in a friendly
During a conversation with United’s website following his arrival, Lammens was shown a picture from the youth friendly between the two clubs arranged in February 2020.
The Belgian custodian, of course, was pleased to delve into a little nostalgia.
“Wow, I remember this. I think it was the second team or the Under-18s, we played a friendly against them at home. It was a big day. The first team also played against the first team. Unluckily, I couldn’t be there in the first team so it was really nice to play against the young guys,” said Lammens.
“If you see some of the guys here, I see Tahith Chong and I played with him. You can see some big talents of that time. It was really nice to play against a team that, growing up, you looked at a lot. I almost forgot about it, but this picture reminds me of that time.”
United won the game 2-0 through goals from Chong and James Garner.
Lammens left Club Brugge to take a step up in his career
The new United No. 31 went on to reveal that though he was happy at Brugge, he had to take the step up to Antwerp to continue his development.
“To be honest, everything at Brugge was perfectly fine. I was really happy there and, from the youth onwards, I made big steps. But as a goalkeeper, sometimes you come into a situation where there is a big name in front of you and you have to be realistic, and maybe choose another path.”
The Belgian, who registered 10 clean sheets from 44 games for Antwerp last season, acknowledged that the learning process at the Bosuilstadion helped him get to Old Trafford.
“You also have to have patience because, the first year at Antwerp, I didn’t play, but, in the long term, I think it was a good option and looking back it was a good option, because the opportunities I got with Antwerp, and the learning process also, it got me to where I am now,” said Lammens.
“I am very happy that I made the decision, but also, looking back on it, I have nothing bad to say about Brugge. Everywhere I went was positive.”
With United facing Manchester City and Chelsea after the international break, Lammens may not be thrust into action right away.
Feature image Octavio Passos via Getty Images
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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. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
