Senne Lammens Reveals Why He Snubbed Premier League Rival for Man Utd

Senne Lammens has revealed that joining Manchester United is something he started dreaming about in childhood, which explains why the goalkeeper reportedly turned down an alternative move to Aston Villa.

Lammens was United’s final capture of the summer transfer window, arriving from Royal Antwerp on Deadline Day. But there had earlier been a degree of uncertainty about where the 23-year-old would end up, with his future intertwined with that of Villa’s Emiliano Martínez.

In the end, United plumped for Lammens, even though Yashin Trophy holder and reigning Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Martínez was believed to want to join them. Villa were also eyeing Lammens because Martínez wanted to move on, and the Daily Mail has now revealed that they had agreed a more lucrative deal with Antwerp than United’s initial £18.1 million ($24.3 million).

But Lammens only wanted Old Trafford, explaining why in his first interview with club media.

“This is my dream move,” he revealed. “When I was five [in 2007], 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.

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“I remember being a kid, Manchester United winning the Champions League and winning the league. [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 Belgium, Lammens played alongside many ex-Premier League players, like Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Janssen, Dennis Praet, Denis Odoi, Jaïro Riedewald and Björn Engels.

“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, seeing it, it’s a different level,” he said.

“So, that was also a big part of why I chose Manchester United.”