Man United were proven further right to sanction a Dean Henderson sale this summer, with the Englishman’s injury record continuing to plague him.
Manchester United breezed into the Carabao Cup fourth round last night, battering Crystal Palace 3-0 in front of the Old Trafford Faithful.
The game itself was all one way traffic, which was a relief after the poor run of form the Reds had been on beforehand.
I must admit, I was a little anxious when I found out Dean Henderson would be making his Palace debut in the match. The Englishman had a point to prove after being let go by Erik ten Hag.
I will say that United proved themselves further right regarding the 26-year-old’s summer sale, as he limped off the field during his debut, lasting under twenty minutes before succumbing to injury…
You can literally possess all the talent in the world – but it’s all for nothing if you cannot keep fit. Ever since Hendo broke into the team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he’s always had injury issues that have plagued him.
There was a moment where he was looking certain to become the new number one, but for a bout of Covid to rule him out for all of pre-season and the first few months of the campaign proper. For me, this just about sums up his Reds career.
Factor in his very public disappointment at not being given an opportunity under Ten Hag and it always felt like Henderson was going to be sold. To the club’s credit, they stood firm on their asking price and managed to scoop the best part of £20m for the Englishman.
For him and for Palace, last night was supposed to be the start of something special. Sadly, that couldn’t be farther away from the truth. Henderson will now no doubt spend some time back in the treatment room, watching another ex-Red, Sam Johnstone, do his job for him.
Don’t get me wrong, I do feel Hendo’s pain. He deserves a shot at starting matches week-in-week-out at a decent level. He’s just been pretty unlucky with the way his career has panned out so far.
The harsh reality is that the sport is brutal at the highest level. United cannot afford to wait around in the hope that Henderson could have kept himself fit. In the end, they settled on Andre Onana who looks like the real deal. A good chunk of his transfer fee was paid off with the Henderson sale.
Don’t forget that Altay Bayindir was also brought in. We’re yet to see the Turk in action, though he looks like a good stylistic fit, while he strikes me as someone who won’t moan if he’s not starting games on a regular basis – unlike Henderson, who always wanted to speak to the media and make it clear that he wanted to start games every week.
Do you think Dean Henderson will have a good career? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
