Manchester United loanee Dean Henderson is flourishing again after two troublesome seasons at Old Trafford, which culminated in a season-long loan to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest last summer.
Henderson immediately became the first-choice option at Forest and since then, he has been making headlines for his match-winning performances.
The latest headline was created when he saved two penalties against Wolverhampton in their Carabao Cup quarter-final shootout, with Steve Cooper’s men now set for a double-header against United.
Henderson is ineligible to play in either of those two games, as he was for the Premier League meeting between the two teams in December when Wayne Hennessey played instead.
Even if he was allowed to play, it has now been revealed that he would have missed both games. Henderson has now been ruled out for the next four or five weeks with a leg injury.
“We have two League Cup games [against United] that Dean wouldn’t have played in anyway because of the loan ruling so we were always planning without him for those games,” Cooper is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.
“We need to get this weekend out of the way and see where we’re at after that. Dean is going to be out for four to five weeks, which is obviously a blow for all of us, especially him, but these things happen.
“We carry on with our work and will support Dean as best we can to get fit as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we have to concentrate on getting ready for games.”
SN’s verdict…
Henderson was on the verge of challenging Jordan Pickford for the first-choice position in the England setup but that opportunity quickly faded when it became clear that David de Gea was still the preferred option at Old Trafford.
After nearly two full campaigns on the bench, Henderson needed to go out and play but despite his promising performances, it remains unlikely that he has a long-term future with the Reds.
His controversial pre-season interview certainly sent shockwaves through the club and fans will not be quick to forget. Ultimately, it will all depend on Ten Hag and perhaps his previous interest in Henderson, when the Dutchman managed Ajax, will work in his favour.
