Manchester United veteran Tom Heaton has thrown his support behind Senne Lammens after the 23-year-old Belgian’s mistake at the World Cup, revealing how he will react to it next season. World Cup Heartbreak After a superb debut season at Old Trafford following his £18.1 million move from Royal Antwerp last year, Lammens was selected by Rudi Garcia as part of his squad for this summer’s tournament in North America. Real Madrid superstar Thibaut Courtois is the undisputed starter for Belgium, having made 115 appearances for his country. Lammens was entrusted with the No. 2 role for the Red Devils, while Chelsea’s Mike Penders was the third choice. This constituted a remarkable rise for the United man, given he only made his first appearance for Belgium in November. However, delight turned to disaster when Garcia summoned him from the bench in the quarter-final clash with Spain, after Courtois went down with a thigh injury in the 71st minute. Lammens entered the pitch with the game – his debut at a major tournament – poised at 1-1, with Charles De Ketelaere’s header having cancelled out Fabian Ruiz’s opener. But as the clock ticked past the 88th minute, Lammens made a mess of a speculative shot from distance by Pau Cubarsí, spilling the ball into the path of the onrushing Mikel Merino, who converted to send Spain through to the semi-finals. Bounce back Naturally, Lammens was devastated at the final whistle, with Courtois making a beeline to console his compatriot, as did Spanish No. 1 Unai Simon to show the goalkeeping brotherhood extends beyond borders. In a post-match interview, the Madrid shot stopper backed Lammens, stating: “You only get stronger from this. Eventually you cannot say much more to him or give him much more advice. He is a strong guy, strong personality. I’m sure he’ll be fine. You know, he will have some holidays and then regroup in Manchester and have a great season.” This view is mirrored by his teammate at Old Trafford, with Heaton confirming he had spoken to Lammens after the quarter-final, but predicting he will “be stronger” for the experience, as tough as it is in the moment. “It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but I think that’s the life of a goalkeeper. As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that. He certainly is,” the 40-year-old stated. “I actually think he’ll be stronger for it. His personality is fantastic for a goalkeeper, so no issues there. It’s obviously disappointing for him, but as I say, I do honestly think it can help him in the long run. It’s certainly tough but his personality is suited for it. He’s very strong mentally and he’ll be absolutely fine.” When asked whether it was the type of high-profile mistake which can haunt a goalkeeper in the future, Heaton was confident it would not. “That can happen at any point. Literally every time you cross the foot over the earth, so if that’s your mindset and that’s your outlook, then I’d be more inclined to say it’s more likely to happen. “It’s accepting the fact that it can happen, but what you want to try and do and go and embrace it? I’ve certainly seen that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with that unbelievably well. “I highly doubt he’ll be going into it with fear or worrying about what may happen, it’s more about what you want to go and achieve, whilst also accepting if it happens you can deal with it.” Final Thoughts A report relayed by The Peoples Person revealed Manchester United have planned to offer their full support to Lammens, imploring the team’s leadership group, which includes Heaton, to “reach out to him to show their support.” But Heaton’s assured stance on the mental resilience of his younger teammate is promising – and is backed up by United legend Gary Pallister, who in an exclusive interview with our commander-in-chief, Red Billy, claimed Lammens is “strong enough to put that behind him”. Feature image Orlando Ramirez 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 Darragh Fox Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.
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