Manchester United aren’t ready to trust Dean Henderson
Manchester United have serious doubts about David de Gea, but club officials aren’t ready to hand over big minutes to Dean Henderson quite yet.
David de Gea’s struggles in goal for Manchester United have club officials questioning his immediate future at Old Trafford. On the surface, that would seem to be good news for Dean Henderson.
Unfortunately for the United starlet, it doesn’t seem like club officials are ready to trust him with the starting spot just yet. Instead, they’re shopping for a bridge between de Gea and Henderson in this year’s transfer market. The most recent target to emerge on the club’s shopping list is a very familiar name around club grounds.
According to The Sun, United want to bring in Kasper Schmeichel to serve as de Gea’s immediate replacement. The idea is that he could hold down the starting spot for several more years while Henderson gains experience. Schmeichel moving to the club where his father experience so much success would certainly please long-time United fans who greatly value ties to the club’s glory days.
For Kasper Schmeichel, joining Manchester United would be a family affair
That doesn’t mean it’s a perfect plan. One obvious issue is that Leicester City will be in no mood to sell their star goalkeeper to a Premier League rivals. Brendan Rodgers expects the Foxes to strengthen their squad this summer in hopes of achieving a top-four finish next season. If Leicester are even going to consider parting with Schmeichel they will require a massive transfer fee in exchange for his services. Spending that kind of cash on a keeper might prevent United from securing some of their big-name attacking targets this summer.
Delaying Henderson’s ascendancy to the first team by several more seasons could also cause the young player to become disillusioned with the idea of staying at the club. The 23-year-old will understandably feel like his 36 Premier League starts for Sheffield United this season have prepared him to step into the starting role at United. His loyalty to the club is firmly established, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to wait forever for his chance to seize a spot in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s starting XI.
In fairness to United officials, this is a difficult challenge to handle this summer. Henderson could benefit from another season or two of Premier League seasoning at another club. Putting him into a league title challenge next year might overwhelm him.
On the other hand, sticking with de Gea might cost the club a chance to really compete with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City next season. If United have really lost faith in the Spanish veteran, they must replace him with someone they believe to be a superior option.
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Schmeichel is an attractive option, but he might be the wrong age and price tag to serve as the bridge between United’s two keepers. It’s definitely an issue to watch closely as the summer transfer window progresses at Old Trafford.