Senne Lammens became Manchester United’s final signing on deadline day as he joined in a £18m switch from Royal Antwerp and Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois has given his thoughts
Manchester United have signed a “huge talent” in Senne Lammens, according to Real Madrid and Belgium star Thibaut Courtois. Lammens became the Red Devils’ final signing of the transfer window on deadline day as he completed an £18m switch to Old Trafford from Royal Antwerp.
United chose to pursue the 23-year-old to bolster their goalkeeping department over Aston Villa and Argentina star Emi Martinez. Despite that decision, one man who is a big fan of Lammens is Courtois, who has already shared his thoughts on the move with Rio Ferdinand.
Speaking on YouTube, the United legend said: “He let me know about Lammens because he's a Belgian player, and he was just giving me the heads up as to what he's like.
“He said he's a huge talent, obviously not experienced yet but he thinks his style will be well-suited to the Premier League as well. So that's a recommendation from probably one of the best three goalkeepers in the world, Thibaut Courtois, so I'll take that.”
And while Courtois is a big fan, Ferdinand has concerns that Lammens might not be given the time he needs to reach his top form at Old Trafford. He added: “I keep seeing people talk about the talent and whatnot, but the problem is, can Man United afford to wait for talent to develop at this point in time? That's the question.”
At just 23, Lammens has already made 63 appearances for Royal Antwerp and has worked his way up through the Belgian youth ranks - albeit he has yet to make his senior debut.
Explaining why he chose to move to Old Trafford, he said: “This is my dream move. 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.
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“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.”