Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick expects that Dean Henderson could be set to leave the club in the January transfer window.
The England international has not progressed as some will have hoped during his time at Old Trafford, despite getting a run in the first-team last season after impressing on loan at Sheffield United.
Man Utd have a big decision to make now, however, with both Henderson and David de Gea still at the club competing to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first choice in goal in the 2021/22 season.
Chadwick has previously spoken to CaughtOffside about the goalkeeping situation at his old club, stating that he felt it was likely one of the two ‘keepers would be leaving this summer.
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That hasn’t materialised, however, and Chadwick now tells us he thinks Henderson’s current situation with illness might delay a move until January, though he expects De Gea to be Solskjaer’s number one this term.
“I think by default it looks like David de Gea will start the season as number one,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside. “Dean Henderson’s had an injury and is now suffering with Covid, so I think he’ll end up slotting into the number two position and that will roll on until January when the speculation starts again.
“De Gea obviously ended last season as first choice, he started the Europa League final. Henderson had a run in the team and perhaps didn’t excel as we thought he could, with De Gea then getting the nod in the final. He didn’t cover himself in glory in the penalty shoot-out, and you then thought that might change things.
“But I think it’s been taken out of Ole’s hands really, as no one’s going to sign an injured or ill Dean Henderson, so now I think it will rumble on with De Gea starting the season again.
“It’s his place to lose really, if he can put in the kind of fantastic performances that he has in the past, then I think it might be Henderson who moves on in January. I think people, myself included, have swayed between one and the other over the last 6-12 months.
“You’d expect Tom Heaton is coming in as the number two, so if there are two top ‘keepers pushing for the number one spot, in my experience it usually means one of them will move on.
“It does make things a bit complicated in the goalkeeping department, the outfield players as well will want to know who’s going to be starting. It does make for a healthier squad if people know where everyone stands. It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next six months but I don’t expect anything to happen this summer with any of the United goalkeepers.”