Dean Henderson’s start to life at Nottingham Forest has caught the eye of former England goalkeeper David James.
The Manchester United loanee put in a terrific performance on Sunday to help the Reds claim their first points since promotion to the Premier League. As well as thwarting Tomas Soucek’s header with a brilliant reaction save, crucially, he also denied Declan Rice from the penalty spot.
It meant the 25-year-old came away with a clean-sheet on his home debut and his second start in the Garibaldi. James was impressed with Henderson’s display and feels he is benefitting from knowing he will get regular football at the City Ground, with his enjoyment clear to see.
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In a discussion about the shot-stopper’s chances of making the England squad for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, James told Sky Sports: “The crucial thing was the move. Last season, I think there was a chance for him to potentially start for Manchester United but covid stopped that.
“But what he has done in these couple of games for Nottingham Forest… the save (from Soucek), in particular, was spectacular. I’m surprised they didn’t mention it in commentary. It’s something they do in training every day, but the fact you do it in training is for those one or two moments in the season where you can actually pull it off.
“With the penalty save, he’s gone the right way, he held it - everything was nice about that. But he just looks like he’s enjoying playing football. When you’ve got a goalkeeper with his talent actually enjoying being on a football pitch… The celebration after saving the penalty was quite fitting as well. Gareth Southgate will be keeping a very keen eye on his development in the next few months.
“This guy should have been, or could have been, starting for Manchester United last season, and then we would be having a completely different conversation about his chances of getting in that Qatar squad. But he’s a goalkeeper I very much like.
“I think he’s got all the attributes to be an international goalkeeper. And if he continues in the form of his first two games, then he’s definitely going to put himself in consideration.”
What have you made of Henderson so far? Have your say in the comments below
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