The brother of new Manchester United signing Senne Lammens has opened up on his concerns in regards to the keeper’s move to the club.
Lammens, 23, completed an £18.2million transfer to Old Trafford from Royal Antwerp on deadline day, with the Belgian keeper penning a five-year contract.
Ruben Amorim’s side beat off significant competition from other sides, including Aston Villa and Galatasaray, with United’s director of football Jason Wilcox hailing Lammens as ‘an excellent young goalkeeper with great potential’.
However, Amorim then left Lammens on the bench for their dismal 3-0 defeat by Man City at the weekend, instead selecting the unconvincing Altay Bayindir.
And Tom Lammens, who plays for Belgian lower league side Borsbeek, has reflected on his brother’s move and revealed how he felt a different transfer may have been better for him.
‘There’s a lot of quality, you play for trophies there [at Galatasaray], and Senne could perhaps immediately make his mark in the Champions League,’ Tom told Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad.
The brother of new Manchester United signing Senne Lammens has opened up on his concerns in regards to the keeper’s move to the club
Lammens joined United for £18.2m on deadline day but was benched for the Manchester derby
‘I was initially sceptical about a move to United, because many players there had already succumbed to the pressure and couldn’t reach their full potential.’
However, Tom did go on to open up further on the transfer and expressed his hopes in regards to his brother’s time at the club.
‘But ultimately, it was Senne who had to make the decision,’ he added. ‘United gave him the best feeling.
‘Partly because Tony Coton, United’s goalkeeping scout, had been following him for almost a year and was very convinced of his qualities.
‘It would also be great if the club could return to its former glory and if Senne could contribute to that.’
Meanwhile, Amorim’s decision to bench Lammens for the Manchester derby has proven to be a major talking point over the past 48 hours.
Several pundits and former United stars have expressed their concerns over what this means in regards to the signing, including Wayne Rooney.
‘That (benching Lammens) was a worry as well.’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast. ‘You don’t know if that was a panic buy.
Tom Lammens (right) felt a move to Galatasaray may have been better for his brother
Lammens was benched for the Manchester derby, with Altay Bayindir keeping his place
‘I’ll be honest I don’t know too much about the new goalkeeper, I don’t think many of us have seen much about him. I’ll obviously do some research and have a look.
‘But if you’re buying a new goalkeeper and he’s not ready to come in that’s a bit of a concern.’
Speaking after joining on deadline day, Lammens had said: ‘I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United, it is a real dream come true.
‘The past few years have been an amazing journey, it’s now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special.
‘You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years.
‘I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff.
‘This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives.’
