wicked.football

Dean Henderson will look to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to one former player.

The England keeper finds himself in a familiar situation to last season and Luke Chadwick thinks he will move on in the winter transfer window.

The 24-year-old looked set to leave last summer, but instead signed a new contract after “faith” was shown in him by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Henderson, who had spent the previous two seasons on loan at Sheffield United, was looking to oust David de Gea as Solskjaer’s number one. And although he got game time for United last season, De Gea was considered United’s first choice and was in goal for the Europa League final defeat to Villarreal.

Henderson, who was missing from England’s Euro 2020 squad with a hip problem, made 17 Premier League and European starts.

But he remains in the shadow of De Gea, who looks set to start the season again as United’s man main, despite returning back for pre-season late after his involvement with Spain this summer.

Henderson’s cause has not been helped by contracting Covid-19. The virus has seen him miss the friendlies with Derby County, Queens Park Rangers and Brentford.

The 30-year-old Spaniard was himself linked with a summer move away, but the talk has gone quiet. Instead De Gea is intent on maintaining his role as United’s No.1, “determined to fight for his place”, according to ESPN.

And Chadwick thinks that may force Henderson into action.

“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.

Where next for Man Utd’s exit-linked 10? Pogba, Martial, Lingard transfer chances rated

‘De Gea’s place to lose’

“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.”

READ MORE: Neville warns Solskjaer to sort major in-house issue amid Man Utd signings

The post Manchester United man tipped to push for January exit at Old Trafford appeared first on TEAMtalk.