Lammens seizes Belgium's No.1 shirt as Courtois gamble hands United keeper his chance

Senne Lammens is making a compelling case to be Belgium’s first-choice goalkeeper after turning a World Cup nightmare into a Nations League audition, saving 11 of the 12 shots he has faced across two starts for the Red Devils this autumn.

The Manchester United stopper, 24, was thrust into the spotlight at the worst possible moment during the summer’s World Cup, coming on for the injured Thibaut Courtois against Spain in the quarter-finals in California. Two minutes from the end, with the scores level, Lammens dropped a Pau Cubarsi shot at the feet of Mikel Merino and Belgium were eliminated. The image of a distraught Lammens on the pitch that night seemed likely to follow him for some time.

Just over two months later, the picture looks strikingly different. Courtois’ decision to skip Belgium’s Nations League campaign has opened the door, and Lammens is walking through it. Across 180 minutes against Italy and France — a record of one win and one defeat — he has prevented goals with an expected goals value of 1.32, numbers that suggest a goalkeeper growing in stature with every game.

Courtois confirmed his absence in an interview with Belgian newspaper HLN earlier this month, revealing that manager Mark van Bommel had told him he would not be guaranteed a starting place. The Real Madrid veteran, 34, said he would make himself available again for the Euro 2028 qualifiers beginning in March, but acknowledged the risk he was taking. “If the goalkeeper playing in the Nations League performs well, Van Bommel might stick with him,” Courtois said. “However, I want to fight for my place. I want to prove that I’m the first-choice goalkeeper again.”

That fight will be a harder one to win if Lammens continues on his current trajectory. The 24-year-old arrived at Old Trafford last summer in an £18.2 million move from Royal Antwerp and impressed throughout his debut Premier League season. Replacing a Belgian legend of Courtois’ standing was always going to demand more than club form alone, but Lammens is now accumulating the international evidence to match.

He will add to his five caps when Belgium face Turkey on Friday, then France the following Monday. November brings further fixtures against Turkey and Italy — six Nations League games in total that Courtois has ceded, and six opportunities for Lammens to make the No.1 shirt his own heading into a World Cup qualification cycle.