Ole can’t just hand Henderson the gloves
PLAYERS are judged differently through the prism of their reputations and it was only when Graeme Souness was back on mic in the studio that Dean Henderson’s positioning for Matt Ritchie’s goal on Sunday was called into question.
If Gary Neville, the hardest pundit on goalkeepers, was on commentary then he would have questioned why the keeper was not further to his right.
Newcastle midfielder Ritchie’s rifled shot did not kiss the near post and Henderson did not attempt to save it.
Near post used to be David de Gea’s Kryptonite, though he now keeps goal as though someone is controlling him with a voodoo doll. Specifically since the beginning of March last year, he has started to regress and the plethora of errors in last season’s run-in outnumbered any he had committed in the previous five. De Gea did not record a clean sheet in his last 14 appearances of 2018-19.
This season they have become worse. The irony is De Gea has had spells of form where he has looked like his old self – the oneman defence in the first-half at Sheffield United, stunning saves from Rodri at City and Jordan Henderson at the Kop. He had four clean sheets in five prior to the Steven Bergwijn fumble against Spurs on Friday night.
It was worrying just how quiet De Gea was in an empty stadium. When he was adjacent to the press box in the first half, one could make out just one murmur from him.
His silence is usually an asset. Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon, two of the ’keepers of the century, were almost always unemotional and calm in their pomp.
Henderson’s idol was Joe Hart and there are obvious parallels
beyond the cocksure personalities. The former City keeper has his own attachment with Shrewsbury Town, where Henderson formed a bond on loan, and was the best English goalkeeper during a Premier League loan in a season he turned 23 before a scheduled major tournament.
Hart returned to his parent club in Manchester to assume the No.1 role, though De Gea is a more formidable competitor than Shay Given.
Henderson’s aberration at Newcastle was cause for United to take stock and not rush into wresting the torch from De Gea. He was mildly culpable for Allan Saint-Maximin’s opener after Enda Stevens swiped at thin air and there was personal humiliation in conceding to the usually jittery Joelinton.
It was the first time he had conceded three in a Premier League game.
A little like Hart, Henderson can become too big for his boots and has previously made mistakes amid mounting hype.
He basked in the adulation of his Under-21 European Championship opener against France last year by liking a tweet suggesting he had replaced De Gea as United’s No.1 and in the next match dropped a clanger against Romania.
England lost and were eliminated. Henderson is still young but has to eradicate errors when under intense scrutiny.
What could be decisive in United’s goalkeeping dilemma is De Gea seems to have nestled into a comfort zone.
He is on a £300,000-a-week four-year contract, turns 29 in November, the Real Madrid armada has sailed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has failed to challenge De Gea by overlooking Sergio Romero for Premier League matches.
Henderson, not long turned 23, is at a hungrier age.
“I always wanted to get out there and prove myself, rather than sit in my comfort zone,” he said upon arrival at Sheffield United two years ago. It is understood that was a reference to his academy goalkeeping predecessor Sam Johnstone, who enjoyed the perks of being a professional Manchester United footballer until he left the club at the age of 25 without playing for the firstteam.
De Gea is not a busted flush and would still improve elite European clubs such as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
He is at the same age Peter Schmeichel turned in his first season with United before going on to win the European Championship with Denmark.
The talent pool of Spanish custodians is not as deep as it was during their international hegemony, though De Gea is still the most talented.
Romero is good enough to ensure a Mexican stand-off between the finest Argentinian, Spanish, and English goalkeepers at United but may stand aside.
He is out of contract next year and recently switched to the Stellar Group agency, which also represents Henderson.
The most concise advice Henderson has received so far has not been from another United manager. “If he wants to play for the top teams, if he wants to play for England, then he needs to do better,” Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said.
“He needs to concentrate more.”
Henderson will be judged differently at United.