Senne Lammens is the latest guest to feature on our new Inside Carrington podcast, with the Belgian international sharing fascinating details of his rise to becoming a Manchester United player.
The 23-year-old kept a clean sheet on his debut against Sunderland back in October and has made an encouraging start to life at Old Trafford.
Senne has started our last six fixtures and, last Friday, he joined Helen Evans, Liam Bradford and Ben Fosterto record our latest podcast.
If you haven't already seen the episode, click here to watch it, or keep reading for five fascinating details revealed by Lammens...
A FAN OF FOSTER ON YOUTUBE
At the start of the recording, it becomes evident that Senne knows Ben from his innovative video diaries as a player...
“To be honest, [I discovered him] a couple of years ago, I'm a big YouTube guy, and I followed him, the 'Cycling GK', when he was still playing at Watford. I loved to watch the matchday vlogs and how he prepared the game as well. It was nice to see, also the gameplay from the goal. It's a nice view of how the game goes as a goalkeeper. Sometimes it's difficult for the fans to see it. So yeah, it was a really nice thing to watch for me as well, so that's why I already know him a little bit.”
THE BEST FINISHER AT UNITED
After discussing the intensity and qualify of training at United, Foster asks Lammens to name his toughest opponent from shooting practice...
“I think, the skipper [Bruno Fernandes] is probably the best one. Yeah. Left, right. He also likes to joke with me that, in training, he always get goals against me, so I need to hear that also about him every time.”
HE'S TIGHT WITH TOM HEATON
Asked who has helped him to settle at United, Senne is quick to point out the most experienced member of our goalkeeping union and the banter they share...
“I tell him every day, we were just talking about it, that he's going to turn 40 in a couple of months! I think Tom Heaton is a easy answer for that one. Just the type of human he is with also the experience and just [him] making me feel at home as well. But to be honest, the whole goalkeeper group is really good together. Sometimes you could have it as well, especially in big clubs where you can feel that because you all have the same job, you want to all be playing. But still there's a really good connection. It [is a] really friendly group and we just want to make each other better. So that was also really important for me at the beginning.”
AN APPRECIATION FOR UNITED HISTORY
Senne speaks enthusiastically when quizzed on recent praise from Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Yeah, I read it somewhere and, at first, I couldn't really believe it, to be honest. He is such a big name and especially at this club, so I was a little bit surprised, but it felt really, really good, to be honest.“
Lammens points to Sir Alex's former captain, Roy Keane, when asked which United legend he would love to play with today.
A COUNTRY BOY AT HEART
Discussing his arrival in Manchester, Senne admits he is more comfortable outside of the hustle and bustle...
“The first couple of weeks, I was in the city centre in a hotel. To be honest, I'm not really a city person. I'm more of an outside person, more nature and relaxed. So now, I am in Hale. So it's been really nice there as well. To live there and just coming home from training, after a hard day, just relaxing and going for a walk or something. Or, I also like to play golf in Belgium. So I have started here as well. Now I have a little bit of time to relax. Also a little bit more in the mind and to just switch off. Switch off a little and also with some team-mates sometimes. It's good.”
TWO GOALKEEPING INSPIRATIONS
Asked to name his idols, Lammens drops a couple of goalkeeping legends...
“Of course, Thibaut Courtois, because he's also from Belgium. I also watched him a lot growing up, especially in the national team when we played [in] World Cups and European Championships. Um, I think [Manuel] Neuer also is a big example for me because he's so all around, with his feet and helping the defence as well behind him. I think those two are the biggest, to be honest.”
Our latest Inside United episode with Senne Lammens is now available to watch and listen too on all major platforms - including over on the Official Man Utd YouTube channel.