Lammens to wear shirt once worn by Man United legend, explains Old Trafford move

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens joined Manchester United from Royal Antwerp on the transfer deadline day in a deal worth £18.2 million, becoming the club’s last summer signing.

United have now confirmed that Lammens will wear the no.31 jersey, which was the first jersey worn by club legend Darren Fletcher when he was promoted by Sir Alex Ferguson to the first team.

Fellow Belgian Marouane Fellaini also wore it for two seasons before switching to no.27. Nemanja Matic and Bastian Schweinsteiger were two other notable names to have won it.

The 23-year-old will be the fourth goalkeeper to be assigned the no.31 jersey – Jack Butland, Martin Dubravka, and Nick Culkin did the same.

Lammens enjoyed his breakthrough season with Antwerp last season. According to DataMb, he made more saves and prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the world last season.

His performances attracted the interest of various clubs, including Man United and Aston Villa, who wanted a replacement for Emiliano Martinez.

The Club Brugge academy product has described his transfer to United as a ‘dream move’, having followed them since childhood.

Lammens has revealed that the opportunity of playing at Old Trafford played a role in his choosing Man United over other clubs.

He told manutd.com: “A big part is the stadium. 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.”

With Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir struggling, whether Lammens will become the first-choice goalkeeper this season remains to be seen.

Article written by Henry Thornton .