The brother of new Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has revealed he was ‘sceptical’ about his move to Old Trafford and felt joining Galatasaray would have been more beneficial.
United spent £18m to sign Belgian shot-stopper Lammens from Royal Antwerp on transfer deadline day.
Ruben Amorim said at the start of the season that the club would not be signing a new goalkeeper but Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana’s early struggles forced a rethink.
Lammens was on the bench for Sunday’s Manchester derby defeat to City, with Bayindir keeping his place in the team despite his unconvincing start to the campaign.
Belgium U21 international Lammens will hope to displace Bayindir as Amorim’s No. 1 once he settles in at Old Trafford and finally solve United’s issues in goal.
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Manchester United paid almost £50m for Onana in 2023 but the former Champions League finalist has underwhelmed and joined Turkish club Trabzonspor on loan last week.
A number of clubs expressed interest in Lammens and his brother admits he was worried about a possible move to United as ‘many players’ have not ‘reached their full potential’ at Old Trafford.
Tom Lammens, who plays for Borsbeek in the lower leagues of Belgian football, even named Galatasaray as a potential better choice for his brother.
‘There’s a lot of quality, you play for trophies there [at Galatasaray], and Senne could perhaps immediately make his mark in the Champions League,’ he told Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad.
‘I was initially sceptical about a move to United, because many players there had already succumbed to the pressure and couldn’t reach their full potential.
‘But ultimately, it was Senne who had to make the decision. United gave him the best feeling.
‘Partly because Tony Coton, United’s goalkeeping scout, had been following him for almost a year and was very convinced of his qualities.
‘It would also be great if the club could return to its former glory and if Senne could contribute to that.’
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney said it was a ‘concern’ to see Lammens on the bench against Manchester City and questioned whether he was therefore a ‘panic buy’.
‘That was a worry as well… you don’t know if that was a panic buy,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
‘I’ll be honest I don’t know too much about the new goalkeeper, I don’t think many of us have seen much about him. I’ll obviously do some research and have a look.
‘But if you’re buying a new goalkeeper and he’s not ready to come in that’s a bit of a concern.’
Lammens has at least received a glowing endorsement from one of his new Manchester United teammates since arriving from Belgium.
‘I think us as players, it’s really important to help settle in new players,’ Luke Shaw, now in his 11th year at Old Trafford, told Sky Sports.
‘He [Lammens] has been really good. He’s trained a couple of days, looks really sharp. I’ve been really impressed with him.
‘That’s good. It’s always good to have new additions and I’m really looking forward to playing with him.’
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