Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd star believes continuing under Ten Hag is ‘impossible’, as Premier League rival prepare to pounce
Man Utd trio Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Dean Henderson
An imminent deal has left a Man Utd star believing he has no choice but to leave Old Trafford for good this summer, and a move to another Premier League side is highly achievable on one condition, per a report.
Who leaves Manchester United at season’s end is shaping up to be just as intriguing as who arrives. Erik ten Hag is gunning for a new centre-forward, an attacking upgrade at right-back and a box-to-box midfielder, according to the Athletic.
A new goalkeeper had also been speculated amid persistent concerns David de Gea is unsuited to an Erik ten Hag system.
United legend Paul Scholes has joined the chorus of questioning whether De Gea is right for what Ten Hag wants his side to be.
De Gea remains imperious with the gloves, though is painfully limited with his feet. Those restrictions reared their ugly head during the Europa League exit to Sevilla and prevent Ten Hag from fully implementing a possession-based style.
However, ESPN recently reported the four-time Man Utd Players’ Player of the Year is poised to sign a new multi-year deal.
TEAMtalk subsequently learned Ten Hag was the driving force behind the imminent deal, with the Dutchman letting the club’s board know in no uncertain terms De Gea is his undisputed No 1.
However, according to Football Insider, a knock-on effect of De Gea’s looming deal is Dean Henderson realising his time is up.
Game over for Dean Henderson at Man Utd
The 26-year-old is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest. He had performed well during the first half of the campaign, though a thigh injury has ruled him out of action since January. PSG loanee, Keylor Navas, will continue to deputise between the sticks until season’s end.
FI report that news of De Gea’s new deal has left Henderson believing a return to Man Utd is ‘impossible’.
Henderson has fixed his gaze on earning a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024. Only regular gametime will allow him to stake his claim and warming the bench at Old Trafford is therefore unthinkable.
As such, Henderson is reportedly ‘set to leave’ Man Utd on a permanent basis this summer.
Another loan spell would serve little purpose given the De Gea issue will still be there when a second loan concludes.
Nottingham Forest ‘open’ to permanent deal
Prior reports have claimed Henderson is valued around the £30m mark by Man Utd chiefs. Tottenham and Aston Villa have both drawn links, with the latter only likely to be in the mix if Emiliano Martinez is reluctantly sold.
However, per FI, a return to Nottingham Forest – this time on a permanent deal and not a loan – is in play.
Steve Cooper’s side are deemed ‘open’ to bring Henderson in on a permanent basis. However, such a move is obviously dependant on Forest beating the drop.
Two late goals from Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva saw Forest fall to an agonising 2-1 defeat on Saturday afternoon. The result sees Forest hovering just one point outside of the relegation zone and they’ve played a game more than all of their relegation rivals.
For obvious reasons, Forest won’t be in the business of sanctioning moves to the tune of £30m or so if relegated to the second tier.
As such, how Forest fare over the final month of the season will have a huge bearing on whether can Henderson return to the City Ground next season.