Heaton confident Senne Lammens will bounce back from World Cup blunder
Manchester United (MU) senior goalkeeper Tom Heaton is confident that his teammate Senne Lammens will emerge as a stronger player and person after his fatal blunder at the 2026 World Cup with the Belgian national team.
Lammens came into the spotlight after his imperfect catch led to Spain's winning goal in the quarter-final.
"I've spoken to him. It's obviously a difficult moment for him, but that's the life of a goalkeeper. Once you put on the gloves and step in between the sticks, you have to be ready for those situations. He'll be stronger for it," Heaton said after Manchester United's pre-season defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki, as reported by beIN Sports on Monday.
Throughout the World Cup, Lemmens was merely Thibaut Courtois's backup. However, the 24-year-old goalkeeper was given his chance to play after Courtois suffered an injury in the 71st minute of the quarter-final match against Spain.
That opportunity ended in disappointment. After barely posing a threat throughout the match, Lammens failed to keep out Pau Cubarsi's shot in the final minutes.
The rebound was then pounced on by Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino to score the goal that sealed Spain's 2-1 victory over Belgium.
Lammens looked devastated after the final whistle. He had impressed for Manchester United last season since joining from Royal Antwerp for £18.1 million. At that time, the Red Devils opted to sign Lammens over Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Despite receiving sharp criticism in Belgium for the blunder, United still has full confidence in Lammens. The goalkeeper is now on a three-week break before returning to pre-season training in early August.
He is expected to be available to face Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8.
