Manchester United to Consider Loaning Out Dean Henderson
By Tom Gott
Manchester United are open to the idea of letting 23-year-old goalkeeper Dean Henderson leave the club on loan in January.
Henderson was brought back to Old Trafford during the summer after impressing on loan with Sheffield United, and it was expected that he would provide some serious competition for United's current number one, David de Gea.
However, it's yet to really work out like that. Henderson has been restricted to just three appearances across the Carabao Cup and Champions League, with 30-year-old De Gea shaking off the error-ridden form which saw his United future come into question last season.
ESPN note that Henderson has no real concerns about his role at the minute, although he has been warned by England manager Gareth Southgate that he will not be the Three Lions' starting goalkeeper at next summer's European Championships if he is not playing regularly at club level.
That has seen the idea of a loan move return to the table. Henderson would be able to gain more experience and challenge for the England jersey, while United would avoid risking stunting his development by keeping him on the bench.
Whatever United decide to do, it will likely have a knock-on effect on Sergio Romero, the third-choice goalkeeper who is desperate to leave the club after tumbling down the pecking order.
Romero is said to be training alone while he tries to engineer a move away from Old Trafford in January, but United are delaying making a decision on his future until they decide what to do with Henderson.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants an established backup to De Gea and is not prepared to allow both to leave in January, given the only other senior goalkeeper at the club is 37-year-old Lee Grant, who has played just twice since joining in 2018.
It's a tricky situation for United, who will likely be unable to keep everyone happy. Romero is thought to have been particularly disappointed at the news that he was being demoted behind Henderson, while United's price tag of £10m did nothing to help him seal a move away during the summer.
The Argentine's contract is set to expire at the end of the season, when he will be 34 years old, although United do have the option to extend that by a further 12 months.