Manchester United’s ‘legendary’ goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has had his say on the continuing debate over Dean Henderson’s future.
It’s almost as if we are in the process of a court case and we want to hear every single person’s version of events before Manchester United make up their mind. It just so happens that the list of witnesses is getting longer and longer.
Speaking during an Instagram Live Q&A (via The Manchester Evenings News) the Dane said that he doesn’t think that Henderson is quite ready to make the step up to being the stopper for Manchester United just yet, and that he’ll need a few more years at the top of his game to prove it:
“Would anyone seriously consider not having David de Gea in goal and put Dean Henderson in now? There’s no doubt about Henderson’s potential, but he’s played one season at a club who has had an unbelievable run in the Premier League. But Henderson will need to show another season, like he’s just come through, and then another one, and another one, in order to convince everyone that he is the right guy. There’s a really big difference between being the No.1 at Bramall Lane and being the No.1 at Old Trafford, a really big difference. Even just being a player at those two clubs.”
To some extent, Schmeichel does have a point, Henderson has been ‘on the rise’ with us, helping us get out of the Championship and now getting high up in the Premier League.
If Dean Henderson leaves, what route would you take?
Use what we have
Bring someone in
However, as I have been warning people about, there is still the danger of the club taking a step back, like Reading in 2006-07 to 2007/08 and Hull City in the early stages of 2008-09 to 2009/10. Not that I want it to happen, but it will always be a possibility.
In a sense, it might be beneficial if he does come back to us and has a little bit of regression. Not too much, but just enough for Manchester United to consider that he might not be the future for them after all.
Is that a sacrifice that you’d be willing to take in order to keep Henderson around?
“There’s a big difference playing for Man Utd….blah, blah, blah”
It’s the same game, same league, the ball is the same shape, the goals are the same size.
If anything, for a goalkeeper it should be easier for him because he SHOULD be stood about doing nothing most of the time.
What Schmeichel is hinting at is ambassadorial, like you have to be an ambassador for the club at Man Utd and you can’t be ambassadorial if you are relatively unknown, but he can just be any old tosspot when he’s at Sheffield United.
He might also be hoping that his son gets a move to Man Utd and Henderson would be in his way.