Manchester United goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, has backed team-mate Senne Lammens to recover from the mistake that contributed to Belgium’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying the young goalkeeper has the mentality to emerge stronger from the experience.
Lammens, 24, was thrust into action during Belgium’s quarter-final against Spain after first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suffered an injury with 19 minutes remaining.
The Manchester United shot-stopper had little to do before spilling a late effort from Pau CubarsÃ, allowing Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino to score the winner in Spain’s 2-1 victory.
The error ended Belgium’s World Cup campaign and left Lammens visibly emotional after the final whistle.
Speaking after Manchester United’s opening pre-season defeat by Wrexham in Helsinki, Heaton revealed he had spoken to the Belgian goalkeeper following the disappointing exit.
“Yes, I spoke to him. It was obviously a challenging moment for him, but that’s the life of a goalkeeper.
“As soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that.
“He’ll be stronger for it. I think his personality is fantastic for a goalkeeper, so no issues there. As I say, I honestly think it can help him in the long run,” Heaton said.
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Lammens joined Manchester United from Belgian club Royal Antwerp last season in a deal worth £18.1 million after the club opted to sign him instead of Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano MartÃnez. He impressed during his debut campaign and is regarded internally as one of the club’s long-term goalkeeping prospects.
Despite criticism from sections of the Belgian media following the World Cup defeat, Manchester United remain confident in Lammens’ ability.
The goalkeeper is currently on a scheduled three-week break after the tournament and is expected to return to pre-season training in early August. He is expected to be available for United’s fixture against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8.
Manchester United recently strengthened their goalkeeping department by signing experienced English goalkeeper Karl Darlow, 35, as back-up to Lammens. Heaton, 40, also signed a one-year contract extension during the summer, although his last competitive appearance came in February 2023.
Heaton believes Lammens should not allow the World Cup error to affect his confidence.
“I highly doubt Senne will be going into it with fear or worrying about what may happen,” he said.
“That can happen at any point. Literally every time you cross the foot over the earth. If that was your mindset, I’d be inclined to say it’s more likely to happen.
“Goalkeeper is a position where if something goes wrong, it’s going to end in a goal. Goals can change games and cause you to lose. You have to be realistic about that.
“It is tough, but Senne is very strong mentally. I saw that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with it unbelievably well.”
Goalkeepers often face intense scrutiny because individual mistakes can directly influence match results, but coaches and former players have frequently stressed that resilience and mental strength are essential qualities for success in the position. Manchester United believe Lammens possesses those attributes and expect him to continue his development despite the setback in Belgium’s World Cup campaign.
