Senne Lammens: Why I signed for United
Senne Lammens has described his move to Manchester United as the completion of a “childhood dream,” but insists this is just the start of a new journey in which he wants to grow alongside the team and bring long-term success to Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper signed from Royal Antwerp on transfer deadline day, choosing United when, according to director of football Jason Wilcox, there had been “significant interest from a number of clubs”.
For Senne, from hearing that United were interested for the first time, it was only ever going to be one club for him.
“This is my dream move,” he told us in his signing interview, the first part of which is available to watch now, initially for MUTV subscribers.
'The biggest moment of my life'
LAMMENS INTERVIEW | Get to know our new goalkeeper Senne in part one of his exclusive signing chat at Carrington...
”When I was five, United was at the height of football and you keep in your memory how big Manchester United is, so, when I heard they were interested, it was like a childhood dream.
“I remember being a kid, Manchester United winning the Champions League and winning the league, and also [I want] to help the team get to a level that you can compete for a title again and to play Champions League again. That’s also one of my biggest points, that I want to grow with the team and go up to the heights that used to be Manchester United.
“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the Premier League is the biggest competition in the world.
“In my team in Antwerp, there were some players who were also in England and, when I talked to them about Manchester United, you could directly see their face change. The club alone, the aura of the club, it’s massive, and being here today, seeing it, it’s a different level.
"It’s crazy. So, that was also a big part of why I chose Manchester United. I’m very happy that we could get it done today.”
Lammens visited Old Trafford for the first time on Tuesday morning, a moment he was eagerly anticipating.
“A big part is the stadium,” he continued, when discussing why he became a Red.
“You can feel it and see it, the history. When a stadium is like this and there has been so much happening there over the past years and the past decades, you can almost feel it when you walk into it, I think. So that’s also a big thing I’m looking forward to, walking on the pitch for the first time, and thinking about all the greats who have played there, especially goalkeepers.
“The fans are also crazy! With the small sample size I had with the club, it’s already you come in contact with so many. [I’ve had] a lot of messages online, but also people in Belgium already speaking about it to me.
"You can just feel it in everything.”