Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Insists Dean Henderson Wants to Stay at Man Utd
By Tom Gott
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted goalkeeper Dean Henderson remains happy at Old Trafford, despite suggestions that the Englishman could leave on loan in January.
After starring on loan with Sheffield United last year, Henderson was rewarded with a spot in Solskjaer's squad this season, but he is yet to feature in the Premier League and has just three appearances in cup competitions to his name.
That lack of minutes has seen Henderson fail to displace Jordan Pickford in the England starting lineup, prompting countless reports that the goalkeeper could head out on loan in January to boost his chances of playing at the European Championship next year. Sources have confirmed to 90min that Henderson is desperate to make the move after England boss Gareth Southgate warned him he can't replace Pickford without playing.
However, when pushed for a response to Henderson's situation, Solskjaer was adamant that his young goalkeeper still sees his future at United.
“Dean wants to stay at United and play for United,” Solskjaer said (via The Times). “He’s training really well, he’s maturing and he is training with one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
“He has the potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It’s a great competition between them so I don’t buy the argument it’s make or break for him.
“It’s not up to me to keep everyone happy,” Solskjaer said. “Every position you play in for United, it is your responsibility to make me and the coaches happy so then there is a bigger chance you will play next time.”
Solskjaer also hit back at claims that Henderson would remain stuck behind David de Gea in the pecking order, insisting that the season was too long for him not to rotate his goalkeepers at one point.
The boss made those comments despite the fact that Henderson is yet to play a Premier League game and has only featured in so-called 'smaller' games - Carabao Cup victories over Luton and Brighton and the Champions League defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir - with De Gea clearly well ahead in the pecking order.
De Gea played every minute of last season's domestic campaign, despite being in awful form for a large part of it, so the chances of the Spaniard being dropped while he's in good form this year seem slim.