Manchester United signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day of the summer transfer window.
Senne Lammens was a target for Aston Villa as well, but Manchester United secured his services. The Sporting Director of the Belgian club, Marc Overmars, has now revealed that Aston Villa failed with a move to sign the player and the £18.2 million signing wanted to join Manchester United instead.
Marc Overmars said via Birmingham Mail, “When Manchester United wanted Senne Lammens, we said; ‘Listen, we’re not Brighton or Brentford, with whom you have to negotiate for weeks’. With us, things have to move quickly.
“With Manchester United, we started as losers on deadline day. We had a deal with Aston Villa, but Martinez still had to leave – and Senne didn’t want to go there. Only then did Man Utd make a first offer, lower than Aston Villa. Four hours later, we finally reached an agreement.”
It seems that the West Midlands club were looking at him as a potential replacement for Emiliano Martinez. The South American was heavily linked with a move away from Aston Villa during the summer window. Martinez ended up staying at Aston Villa, and he will not be too worried about missing out on the 23-year-old anymore.
Can Lammens make his mark?
Senne Lammens is expected to be the first-choice goalkeeper at Manchester United, and it will be interesting to see if he can establish himself as a player for the club. Andre Onana was quite underwhelming for Manchester United, and they decided to send him out on loan to Trabzonspor.
The Belgian goalkeeper will replace him in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season once he inevitably overtakes Altay Bayindir in the pecking order, and it will be interesting to see if he can adapt to the Premier League quickly and make an instant impact. There is no doubt that he is a talented player with a bright future.
The opportunity to play for Manchester United will have been quite exciting for him, and he will look to prove himself at the highest level. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have made a disappointing start to the season, and they will look to bounce back strongly. They will hope that their summer signing fires on all cylinders and helps them get back into the UEFA Champions League.
