Roy Hodgson confirms it’s ‘not good news’ on Dean Henderson’s thigh injury with the Crystal Palace goalkeeper set for spell on sidelines after limping off on Eagles debut

Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson appears set for another spell on the sidelines, with manager Roy Hodgson admitting initial scans on a thigh injury ‘didn’t look like good news’.

Henderson made a first start since joining the Eagles in a £20million move from Manchester United in the Carabao Cup tie against his old club on Tuesday night.

The 26-year-old lasted less than 20 minutes before he was forced off and replaced by Sam Johnstone, who had been Palace’s regular number one this season.

Henderson saw his loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season cut short by a thigh problem, which required surgery.

While Hodgson, who takes his side back to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday, is hoping for better news from Henderson’s next set of examinations, he accepts the initial prognosis is not encouraging.

Roy Hodgson has confirmed the latest on Henderson’s injury ‘didn’t look like good news’ 

The £20million summer signing lasted just 20 minutes on his Palace debut in the Carabao Cup

‘He has had a scan. The initial scan wasn’t very positive, I am sorry to say,’ the Palace manager said.

‘But he has another scan in a week’s time and maybe we will be lucky and that will show somewhat less damage than we saw in the first one, but it didn’t look like good news.’

Forward Odsonne Edouard also missed the cup tie, which United won 3-0, and will not be rushed back into consideration as he manages a hamstring issue.

Hodgson will rejig his side again for Saturday’s league game at Old Trafford and expects the players to rise to the challenge.

‘It is a fantastic football arena and we are playing against one of the best clubs in the world – that is something you should embrace and look forward to, rather than have doubts or fears about,’ he said.

United boss Erik ten Hag has found himself under the spotlight this season but former England manager Hodgson feels the Dutchman will be facing the same concerns as everyone else.

Disappointed Henderson limps off on his debut for Palace against Man Utd on Tuesday night 

Sam Johnstone will have a spell as number one following the Dean Henderson injury news 

‘The bigger the club, in terms of the support and the money the club generates and the amount of people who follow it, the pressure gets ramped up,’ said 76-year-old Hodgson.

‘But in fact – certainly Erik would agree with me – that whether you are at Manchester United or a lower league club in England or Holland, to a certain extent the conundrum remains the same.

‘You have to work very hard to prepare your team, you have to try and then live with what the team is doing on the field, and make the improvements that you can.

‘In the meantime you have to accept from the outside there will be scrutiny and people telling you that you are not doing it the right way.

‘The actual equation doesn’t change – it is the volume and noise which changes, so if you get good at blocking out noise, I suppose it is just a question of how strong your eardrums are.’