Senne Lammens: Manchester United’s Rising Star After World Cup Setback
Manchester United’s 25/26 season produced its share of drama, but one story cut through everything: Senne Lammens.
When INEOS sanctioned an £18 million deal to bring the Belgian from Royal Antwerp, plenty of United fans went straight to search engines rather than celebration. He was a prospect, not a headline name. A gamble at a time when the club had already been burned in goal.
Andre Onana had struggled. Altay Bayindir never truly convinced. United needed calm hands and a clear head. Lammens gave them both.
The 24-year-old settled with a composure that belied his experience, stitching together a debut campaign so impressive that Belgium took him to the World Cup. From relative unknown at Old Trafford to World Cup squad member in a single season — it felt like the rise of a new long-term No.1.
A dream season, a brutal moment
For Belgium, Thibaut Courtois remained untouchable. He started every game and carried the weight of expectation into the knockout rounds. Then came Spain in the quarter-finals, and with it a twist.
Courtois went down injured. Suddenly, the door opened for Lammens.
This was his moment: the Manchester United keeper, the rising name, stepping onto the biggest stage. Instead, it turned into the kind of night that scars careers.
Late in the game, with the tie in the balance, Pau Cubarsí let fly from distance. It should have been routine. Lammens failed to gather, spilling the shot into danger. Mikel Merino reacted first, stabbing home an 88th-minute winner. Belgium were out. The World Cup dream ended with a loose ball and a stunned goalkeeper staring at the turf.
The reaction back home was as harsh as it was predictable. Belgian fans were furious, the media unforgiving. Lammens wasn’t just criticised; he was targeted. One mistake, in one moment, became the defining image of his tournament.
United close ranks – and see something new
At Carrington, the mood was different. Manchester United have seen this before: a player returning from a World Cup with a mistake replayed on every screen and dissected from every angle. The club prepared to protect him, ready with support for a young keeper under fire.
They didn’t need to wrap him in cotton wool.
According to a report from The Sun, those inside the club have been stunned by how little the storm has rattled him. United believe Lammens has actually come back better.
Unflappable. That’s the word being used around the training ground.
He returned to Manchester, pulled on the No.1 shirt vacated by Bayindir’s loan departure, and simply got on with it. No visible crisis of confidence. No tentativeness. Just the same sharp reactions and clean handling that earned him the move in the first place.
A senior club source, quoted in the report, described him as “excellent” since his return. Not just stable. Not just coping. Excellent.
Response on the pitch
Talk is one thing. The real answer always comes with the whistle.
United’s early Premier League fixtures after the World Cup have only strengthened the internal belief. The defeat to Hull City hurt, but Lammens walked away with credit. He produced a string of saves that kept the scoreline respectable and underlined his growing authority in the box.
Then came Ipswich Town. Different opponent, same presence. Lammens delivered again, making key stops that helped United through difficult spells and showcased exactly why the club now view him as their long-term No.1.
The World Cup howler lingers in highlight reels, but inside Manchester United the story has already moved on. A young goalkeeper was knocked to the floor on the biggest stage — and got back up without blinking.
If this is how Senne Lammens responds to the worst night of his career, how high is his ceiling when everything starts to go right?
