Dean Henderson spent a very productive loan spell with Nottingham Forest last season, with only injury cutting his campaign short. He would quickly become a fans' favourite at The City Ground, so it comes as no surprise that talks of a permanent deal from Manchester United this summer began to gather momentum.
26-year-old Henderson has had several loan moves away from Old Trafford over the last seven years, including a double-season loan at Sheffield United between 2018 and 2020. He now wants to find a new home of his home, which would enhance his claims at getting into Gareth Southgate's England squad.
The player clearly enjoyed his time with The Garibaldi last season and would surely entertain signing full-time. Now that he is recovering from injury, talks over leaving Man Utd are now more of a reality. In May, he underwent surgery after suffering a thigh injury in January, ending his season prematurely.
Yesterday, journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed that Nottingham Forest remained ‘focused' on signing Henderson, also squashing rumours of potentially signing Chilean legend Alexis Sánchez in the process. This would be a big deal for the club, so let's focus on what is the actually latest over this possible summer switch.
Dean Henderson Transfer: Where are we at now?
Whilst Anthony Elanga managed to make the move from Manchester United to Nottingham Forest without too much of a fuss, the Henderson deal seemingly requires some movement elsewhere before it can progress any further. Although the player wants the deal, United aren't willing to part just yet, until they can get a replacement.
You may think that with the signing of André Onana from Inter that they have done that, but he is a replacement for David de Gea, who exited the club following the expiration of his contract. Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag therefore needs to seek out yet another goalkeeper before the Englishman can complete a permanent switch elsewhere. This has been reported by journalist Rudy Galetti.
One possible player Man Utd have identified was Zion Suzuki of Urawa Red Diamonds, however the player himself has turned down the move as he wants regular football heading into the Olympics, according to Sponichi. Therefore, it would appear that there is still some time to go before Henderson can leave the club, so it remains a case of watching this space.
Dean Henderson at Nottingham Forest: The stats
Last season, Henderson made a total of 20 appearances for Nottingham Forest; 18 in the Premier League and two in the League Cup. He would also be called up to Southgate's England squad for the September UEFA Nations League clashes with Italy and Germany; being an unused substitute on both occasions.
The only match he missed prior to his season-ending thigh injury was the December clash with his parent club Manchester United; when he was ineligible to play.
The highlight of his campaign was his exploits in the League Cup Quarter-Final penalty shootout victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He made two saves to advance his team into the last four of the competition.
