Man Utd goalkeeper Senne Lammens kept a clean sheet on his debut and the MEN spoke to his former coach.
Lammens made an impressive debut against Sunderland.(Image: Getty Images)
Senne Lammens wore a polo shirt and a navy sweatshirt when he visited Old Trafford after signing for Manchester United. The young goalkeeper looked as though he could be joining United to work in their HR department.
The same observation was made when Lammens reported for international duty with Belgium last week – the 23-year-old was dressed in a beige collared jacket, a khaki t-shirt and chinos.
“By accident, I saw an article saying he was wearing something boring when he reported for international duty and fans saying they hoped he stays like this,” laughed Hayk Milkon, one of Lammens’ former coaches.
“This ‘boringness’ is just the way Senne is, he’s really calm and no excesses. He focuses on what he needs to focus on and is open with the people around him. He keeps his feet on the ground.”
If Lammens looks like someone who could work in an office, every workplace would love to have him in their five-a-side team. United believe they have signed a young goalkeeper with huge potential, and fans who were present at Old Trafford against Sunderland left the stadium buzzing about his debut.
The quirk is that Lammens appears to be a different person when he wears his goalkeeper kit. He made a supremely confident United debut, aggressively commanded his area and kept a clean sheet.
Milkon coached Lammens during their time together at Club Brugge. Milkon is now the youngest manager in the Belgian top-flight and Lammens plays for the biggest club in England.
“I know him very well,” Milkon told the Manchester Evening News. “He’s a great lad, a really professional guy. I often slept at the club’s training camp at Brugge because we had the dormitories, and I would sometimes still be working late and I would spot someone entering the gym.
“It was Senne with his headphones on. He would go into the gym to do his recovery or some extra top-ups. Or he would just go to relax by playing basketball – he loved to play basketball.”
Lammens celebrates against Sunderland. (Image: 2025 Ben Roberts – Danehouse)
Milkon coached in different roles at Club Brugge. He was the assistant of Club NXT (their reserve team), served as their interim manager, was in charge of the Under-18s and eventually became a first-team coach.
His time at Club Brugge coincided with Lammens progressing from the academy to their first team, so he is uniquely positioned to provide insight into United’s new goalkeeper signing.
Lammens joined Club Brugge’s academy when he was 12. “He was a guy with huge potential,” said Milkon. “As I learned from colleagues who had worked with him when he was much younger, I heard there was a moment that clicked in his head when he became super professional.
“He was one of the guys during Covid – when the players were not able to train – who was doing a lot at home, he was really going far with this to be the best in these types of areas.
“Then he continued like this when he joined the first team to train with them. He always wanted to improve. We also had something in place to look at the parameters on which goalkeepers are judged.
“You see the potential of the goalkeeper based on what they do in games; so their positioning, their decision-making and so on, and Senne was always quite high in these areas.
“The only bad luck that he had was that the first-team goalkeeper was Simon Mignolet. He’s an amazing goalkeeper, so it was difficult for Senne to stay over there in the role of No.2.
“That would have also blocked his growth, so it was good for him in the end to make the step to go to Antwerp and he did a tremendous job there. It was amazing to see how fast he adapted.”
Milkon pictured during his stint with Club Brugge (he now manages F.C.V. Dender).
Milkon continued: “I think for us at Club Brugge, it was very clear to everyone that Senne was a top goalkeeper. He would have been the perfect fit for Club Brugge to be the No.1.
“That was not possible because Mignolet was there. But the parameters that we used to judge his performances indicated he was ticking so many boxes already, and he was consistently doing it.
“There weren’t ups and downs with his performances. He was consistently really high and when you compare this to the top goalkeepers, you have a benchmark to say ‘Ok, what potential does this guy have?’
“He had some chances with the first team at Club Brugge and made a mistake, or maybe two, but in the end it was very clear to everyone that he was a top goalkeeper.
“It was impossible to try to extend his contract because, again, you have Mignolet, and you cannot block a guy like this. You know he has to go out, he has to play, and he will improve even more.”
When asked about Lammens’ strengths, he said: “I would say that his decision-making was very good. He is very calm, he sees the solutions on the pitch, he has a quick reaction time and understands the balance between risk and reward, and which decisions are the right ones to make.
“His clean passing is great, his footwork was really good, and he’s just an amazing goalkeeper with the shot-stopping. He made some incredible saves back then already. He’s quite a complete goalkeeper.
“But making the right decisions at a very young age, being very mature with this, was really impressive. And the fact that he is good with both feet is another big strength.
“For me, Senne is a very calm guy and has all the qualities to be a top professional. That was my impression when I first met him when he was younger and he never changed.”
A baby-faced Lammens playing for Club Brugge in 2021. (Image: 2021 BSR Agency)
Lammens joined Royal Antwerp on a free transfer in the summer of 2023. He was handed his debut a few months later and served as an understudy that season, but earned first-choice status for 2024/2025.
His performances drew attention from the Belgian media. Lammens saved four penalties across a successful first full campaign and received a call-up to Belgium’s senior squad in March.
Milkon said: “I was not surprised when I saw Manchester United had come calling. And to record his first clean sheet, I was really happy for him. Senne is a potential No.1 for the Red Devils – the Belgium national team.
“He got his chance, he took it, and we’re all really proud of him, but we knew it would happen. I believe he has all the capabilities to become the best in the world, so I wish him all the best. I’m sure he will have a very good career in England, and Manchester United should return to the big club they used to be.
“He will have a positive impact on that, for sure, and hopefully he will be Belgium’s first-choice goalkeeper soon. I believe he has the potential, the skillset and the personality to do that.
“For me, it was just having a tiny little part in having an influence on him at Brugge, but it was the most positive memories of our relationship that we had during this spell.
“I’m very proud that he is reaching these high levels and not surprised. I believe he will be successful because he is a guy who will not change his focus or start to do something different. He is calm, that’s his personality and character, and he wants to succeed. He is hungry and will keep working to be his best.
“He is so calm, and you have to be patient in football. You cannot worry too much and want things too early, but finding the balance between not being impatient and, at the same time, pushing and demanding what you deserve in a good way, means everything will sort itself out.”
Lammens in action for Royal Antwerp in 2024. (Image: Photonews 2024)
United staff who have worked with Lammens at Carrington have echoed Milkon’s sentiments. He has been described as “really mature for his age” and is said to have taken the move in his stride.
Lammens is understood to have impressed coaches during training sessions and a United source said that lots of people have been speaking positively about him. He has already relocated from the luxury hotel where he was initially staying and into a house.
It’s no surprise that Lammens likes to play basketball at 6ft 3in, but he is a keen golfer, which is common ground with the likes of Tom Heaton, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire.
Matthijs de Ligt, Amad, Maguire and Shaw jogged straight to Lammens to congratulate him after full-time against Sunderland. “Are you Schmeichel in disguise?” was chanted at Lammens from the Stretford End.
It remains to be seen whether Lammens will start against Liverpool on Sunday, but it would be a surprise to see him on the bench after delivering a strong debut before the international break.
There would be nothing boring about keeping another clean sheet – this time at Anfield.
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