The summer of 2021 should have been the making of Dean Henderson.
The Manchester United goalkeeper had emerged from the shadows to put in a serious challenge to David de Gea’s number one spot, and as the calls for the Spain international to be dropped grew after a poor season, Henderson was gearing up for what could have been the biggest few weeks of his career.
It’s easy to forget now, but there were serious demands from supporters for Henderson to be made England’s number one ahead of Euro 2020.
And there was a real case for Henderson to be given the nod – although Jordan Pickford hadn’t really let England down, his Everton form had been patchy, and back then the jury was still out on Aaron Ramsdale following Sheffield United’s relegation, so it was a straight shootout between the United and Everton stoppers.
But then, before Henderson even had a chance to strap on his gloves and walk out onto the Wembley turf, injury struck, and he missed out on the chance to appear in a major international final.
Fast forward to the present day, and his career seems to be well and truly stuck in limbo, through no fault of his own.
To cap off his nightmare summer, Henderson was struck down with Covid-19 just as the Premier League season was beginning, robbing him of the opportunity to stake his claim for United’s number one spot.
Since then, De Gea has returned to form and then some, and there aren’t really any goalkeepers in the world who could displace him right now, never mind Henderson.
Instead of kicking on and becoming the United regular that he had hoped to be this season, the 24-year-old has had to settle for just a bit-part role, with just two appearances coming in the League Cup and Champions League dead rubber against Young Boys.
In that situation, you could certainly understand why the academy product may be showing some frustration – but his salvation may arrive on deadline day.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News , Newcastle are working to try and take Henderson on loan for the remainder of the season, with sources saying a move has not been finalised but work is progressing on a deal that would see the Magpies cover Henderson's £110,000 weekly wages and pay a loan fee.
Henderson is prepared to leave the club permanently in order to find regular playing time, and this may well be the first step towards his exit from Old Trafford, but first of all he needs to get his career back on track.
The goalkeeper’s career has of course been built on loan moves, right from his early days with Stockport and Grimsby Town, before his breakthrough years at Shrewsbury and Sheffield United.
It was at Bramall Lane where his credentials to become United’s number one were exhibited, and the challenge for him will be to rediscover the sort of form he showed for the Blades and establish himself as one of the league’s top keepers once again.
It must be remembered that Henderson has been instrumental in turning round the fortunes of the clubs he’s been on loan to – he helped turn Shrewsbury into contenders for promotion to the Championship, after they had just avoided relegation the previous season, and he went on to play a major role in Sheffield United returning to the Premier League, where they then enjoyed a fine campaign the following season, again with Henderson in goal.
Should he join Newcastle, he will face a big test at St James’ Park as they battle to avoid the drop, but he has certainly shown he has the appetite for the challenge.
He is certainly not lacking in confidence. During one of his early loans at Grimsby, Henderson spoke about becoming not only United's number one, but the best goalkeeper in the world. Unfortunately, those ambitions have perhaps had to be checked over the past few months.
His time at United may well be coming to an end, but heading to Newcastle on loan may well be just what he needs to get his career back on track.
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