Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has been given what appears to be a rare audition to prove he has what it takes to be the club’s number one replacement for David de Gea next season in the remaining games of the 2020/21 campaign.
Henderson was persuaded to sign a new contract at Old Trafford last summer after two super successful loan spells at Sheffield United, and was rewarded with a handsome salary that is on par with the starting goalkeeper at Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Henderson was prominent on loan at Sheffield United | James Gill – Danehouse / Getty Images
But despite Henderson’s huge appetite for first – team football, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer initially stood by De Gea, whose uneven form since 2018 has led to increased scrutiny and criticism.
Henderson was first called up for EFL cup matches and made his United debut against Luton as early as September. It was a big moment in his career, when he joined the academy at the age of 14 and spent five seasons on the surface, at a stage as low as the National League North.
The English stopper got a chance in the Champions League against Istanbul Basaksehir in early November, before making his Premier League debut as a half-time replacement against Southampton when De Gea was injured later that month. He also got the nod against the former loan club Sheffield United just before Christmas and later started all of United’s FA Cup games.
Elimination from the Champions League saw Henderson installed as number one for the Europa League knockout rounds, but his chance to replace De Gea came when the Spaniard returned to Spain on personal leave in March for the birth of his first child.
David de Gea was still favored by Man Utd until March | Pool / Getty Images
Coronavirus restrictions have made international travel difficult and so De Gea got an extended break and opened the door for Henderson to make his claim.
It was initially thought that he would get a run of six starts in a row until the international break in March, of which three he would have played at least due to the Europa League and FA Cup. He kept three sheets in the trio of Premier League matches, including a crucial late save in the first of them against Crystal Palace to prevent defeat.
The crunch moment would always be who Solskjaer chose after the international break when De Gea was fully integrated into the squad. And that was Henderson.
Solskjaer’s decision on who his starter is at least for the rest of this season was emphasized when it was De Gea who played against Granada in the Europa League, with games in that competition usually reserved for the backback goalkeeper. Henderson got the nod again in the Premier League against Tottenham on Sunday, which was perhaps his biggest challenge so far.
Henderson impresses with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | ADRIAN DENNIS / Getty Images
Henderson had played in the 2-0 Manchester derby victory last month, but with the pressure for a place in the top four before mounting against Spurs and after being humiliated by the same opponent in the reverse match in October, United had plenty more to lose in this one.
United needed to be on it to avoid slipping up against a side that is still within touching distance of the top four goals if they could put together a late run and build speed.
The Spurs even made controversial progress when Son Heung-min did just minutes after his dramatic reaction to an unintentional swing of Scott McTominay’s fingers had seen an opener for United chalk after a VAR review.
Henderson could not do anything to prevent Son from sweeping the ball at the far end, but made a handful of other important saves in the match. These blocks with his feet, perhaps an influence from training with De Gea over the last ten months, gave his team the platform to eventually win 3-1.
United employees may not be sold entirely on Henderson’s ability to play at the highest level, which is why the rest of the season is now so important for the goalkeeper to prove that he is worth investing in possibly selling De Gea when the summer transfer window opens.
The audition has not been flawless – he was criticized, for example, for AC Milan’s equalization at Old Trafford, for example – but Henderson did everything asked of him against Spurs. There was nothing spectacular about his performance in north London, but being a top goalkeeper is as much about doing the simple things better than anyone else as about pulling off world-class saves.
For the past three years, De Gea, who is still capable of thinking about stopping, has allowed too many fundamental mistakes and lapses into his game that has cost United at crucial moments. The important thing for Henderson now is to show that he can avoid these mistakes and provide a solid foundation on which the rest of the team can build.
He has seven more Premier League games left this season to prove himself.
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