Last Monday, English football fans named Senne Lammens (23) Transfer of the Season in the English top league. He made a top transfer to Manchester United and became the number 1 goalkeeper at Old Trafford. Lammens held off fellow nominees Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Rayan Cherki (Man City), Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Antoine Semenyo (Man City), Adrien Truffert (AFC Bournemouth) and Granit Xhaka (Sunderland). Lammens made a top transfer to Manchester United on the final day of last summer's transfer window. At Old Trafford, he quickly became the number 1 goalkeeper and with eight clean sheets in 32 games – and many other important saves – he had a significant contribution to Manchester United's third place. The photo with which the Premier League named Lammens the winner, landed repeatedly in the WhatsApp of his former goalkeeper coach Brian Vandenbussche. "It's nice to see how Senne is developing. First, that top transfer after one season at Antwerp. And now again a fantastic year." The speed with which Lammens takes steps forward is effectively impressive. Finally, he is only two years full-time under the bar. The plan was actually to launch him a year earlier – in the summer of 2023 – but because Jean Butez did not leave after the championship year, Lammens stayed another season in the waiting room. Vandenbussche: "Jean kept the roof over his head, so there was no reason to switch. I think Senne felt that too. We had good agreements with him. So Senne could keep in the cup. Also in Porto for the Champions League and later that season in the playoffs he got playing time." In that waiting room, Lammens was certainly not idle. "Senne invested in himself", says Vandenbussche. "When we returned from an away match to the Bosuil, he would still go to the gym at midnight for his GK-power program. I even have pictures of that (laughs). From those specific strength exercises for goalkeepers, he drew energy. Senne felt that he was a few percent better." Lammens also learned a lot from his predecessor Jean Butez (30) – who now won the Italian season's revelation with Como and won a Champions League ticket. "Jean was in a different phase of his career. He brought many years of experience in the top league with him and was also a leader. Senne learned how Jean prepared and experienced a game. It's an art to take something from every goalkeeper without losing your own identity." In terms of pure goalkeeper qualities, Butez and Lammens differ from each other. Vandenbussche: "Jean has an incredible sense of play and is almost always in the right place. Senne's foot reflexes are extremely good. He is also very compactly built. Not the typical athlete, but a blocky type of 94 to 95 kilograms, I estimate. When I hindered Senne with a shot on training, and he then pushed me away, I felt his pure strength (laughs). With that build, you're a man in the Premier League." When Lammens crossed the Channel last summer for 21 million euros plus bonuses, expectations were not very high. ManU icon Peter Schmeichel found him a risk, because he had never heard of him. With the nickname 'The Boring One', Lammens gave all doubters a pat on the back. "He seems a bit flat, emotionless, but that calm and stability is just his great strength", says Vandenbussche. "Senne remains unflappable even in a stadium of 70,000 spectators"