Manchester United will only let Dean Henderson leave permanently if there is a buy-back clause included in the deal, according to TEAMtalk.
What’s the story?
The Red Devils are said to be open to the idea of their 22-year-old goalkeeper moving to Sheffield United, where he is currently spending his second season on loan.
They see this as a natural next step for the academy graduate, as he aims to make himself an established Premier League goalkeeper.
However, any permanent deal for the England hopeful will include a buy-back clause, as United see Henderson as a potential long-term successor for David De Gea, and therefore don’t want to let him go without giving themselves a chance of getting him back in the future.
This comes after Richard Sutcliffe claimed the youngster may be set to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place immediately, during a Q&A on The Athletic.
A smart move
Henderson may feel that he is ready to take De Gea’s spot in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team now, with the Spaniard having had some shaky moments this campaign, such as his mistake against Watford that let Ismaila Sarr score.
This comes while the academy graduate is second in the Premier League for clean sheets kept this campaign – alongside Burnley’s Nick Pope and Leicester City stopper Kasper Schmeichel.
It should also be noted that he has a higher save success rate than the current number 1, with the Englishman’s 76% outdoing De Gea’s 69%.
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However, there is still De Gea’s reputation to contend with, as the 29-year-old has 390 Man United games under his belt.
In addition to that, the aforementioned report indicating they are willing to let Henderson leave, hints that Solskjaer still trusts De Gea for now.
Henderson will be keen to get himself into the Man United goal, but he may have to be patient, so going away with an almost-guaranteed return when time is right seems like a smart option.
Meanwhile, one key Man United target wants to make the move.
