I did say that this saga was going to have a couple more twists and turns to it.
I just didn’t expect there to be this many and for it to essentially be dragged out for another twelve months, but according to journalist Nathan Hemmingham, that’s precisely what could be happening in the case of Sheffield United’s on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
With various stories about whether or not he’ll be staying at Bramall Lane or returning to Old Trafford, it’s all going to be down to what Manchester United do with their current number one, David De Gea.
Speaking during a Q&A for Yorkshire Live, Hemmingham said that it seemed highly likely that Henderson was going to be back next season, but that Blades fans shouldn’t be getting too attached to the idea of him staying for an even longer period of time:
“I cannot see Man Utd selling him because he is a future England number one, if not already number one, so it doesn’t make sense for them to sell their own academy product when he is a ready-made replacement for de Gea. With that in mind, Sheffield United fans need to keep their fingers crossed that de Gea stays another season and does not get sold in the summer. That way Solskjaer will have to loan Henderson out again for another season.”
What this essentially does is delay the decision for another twelve months, because if indeed Henderson comes back to us on loan for 2020/21 and performs at the same level, then we’re just going to want him back and yet again waiting on Man Utd’s decision over De Gea’s future.
That’s why I think it will be interesting to see if Sheffield United stick to that agreement and agree to delay the decision, god this is sounding like Brexit all over again, or if they will just go gung ho and insist that it be now or never for Manchester United over Henderson’s future.
Failing either of those, then I think it’s imperative that the club include a ‘with option to buy’ clause into the next loan deal (should it come to that), because we can’t afford to have another 12 months of uncertainty about the future when a simple deal could easily be negotiated.
There’s the Brexit comparison again.