Dean Henderson has revealed he played on towards the end of last season with the hip injury that forced him to miss England’s Euro 2020 campaign.
The Manchester United shot stopper decided to pull out of the Euros squad after England’s opening win over Croatia due to a tear in his glute.
According to Henderson, he sustained the injury in the 3-1 win over Burnley on April 18.
Henderson returned to training earlier this month but has yet to make an appearance in United’s pre-season games – missing the friendlies against Derby County, Queens Park Rangers and Brentford.
“Obviously I was devastated at the time, when I had to pull out of the squad,” he told the United website. “But I had an injury ongoing from the Burnley game last season and I was really struggling.
“I had a really bad left hip and I needed it to be addressed and I took a scan when I was away with England. I tried to keep it quiet because obviously I wanted to be involved and not miss any games towards the end of last season, I just wanted to keep the momentum going.
“For me, it was something I needed to get sorted so having a break and getting my head right and then coming back and getting everything sorted so I’m ready for the season is something I’m looking forward to.”
None of this is ideal with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doing his best to prepare the team for the new season. There’s been the European Championships, Copa America and lots of COVID protocols to make matters trickier.
New signing Tom Heaton has started the pre-season games but David de Gea is expected to return to United training next week.
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You did the right thing Dean, sorted out your injury and now you are ready to go for the new season.
Your chance will come to represent England, good luck for the coming season.