Hero Dean the mean machine
Super keeper alerts Old Trafford
DEAN HENDERSON could well be playing his way out of a third season on loan at Sheffield United.
On this form, parent club Manchester United will take a little more persuading before they allow their goalkeeper to l eave Old Trafford for another year, especially if he emerges as England’s custodian in the coming months.
The 22- year-old has told Chris Wilder that he eventually wants to displace David de Gea at United. But the Blades boss will tempt him with the promise of another season as No1 at Bramall Lane, where the prospect of European football looks more likely.
H end er son’ s match-saving intervention arrived 11 minutes from time with a triple stop on his goal-line. He celebrated as if scoring a goal, and so he should, for his heroics were just as important as Billy Sharp’s first-half winner.
It was Norwich defender Ben Godfrey who drew the first save from the England hopeful with a header bound for the bottom corner.
Substitute MarioVrancic followed up in an attempt to poke over the line but again Henderson somehow kept it out.
With the ball squirming free, Josip Drmic steamed in for what looked a certain goal only for Henderson to block, allowing David McGoldrick to hook clear.
‘ The best keepers make those saves and he is one of the best,’ said Wild er, before addressing Henderson’s future.
‘He’s a Manchester United player and his loan runs out at the end of the season. Dean will be the biggest voice in his future.
‘He loves playing football. If you speak to him, he wants to be Manchester United’s No 1, he doesn’t shy away from that but he’s developing nicely and has had a fantastic season.
‘We’ll all be very surprised if he’s not in the upcoming England squad and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity in one of the games. He’s got everything to play for and is at a club that thinks a lot of him.’
Norwich manager Daniel Farke was at a l oss t o explain how Henderson had denied his side a point, as he reflected: ‘We were better in just about every statistic — possession, shots, duels won.
‘The guys invested everything. But that’s proof that football is about goals and effectiveness.’
The Blades are certainly effective and, afterwards, Wilder did not attempt to shut down talk of qualifying for the Champions League.
This victory saw them edge one point ahead of Manchester United with games against all of their rivals for those European places still to come.
Sharp, 34, has now scored three in f our having gone si x months without a goal and he was never going to miss when John Lundstram landed the ball on his brow six yards out. ‘It’s a great bit of quality and that has decided the game,’ added Wilder, whose side are just two points off the top four.
‘We keep rolling on. We can’t shy away from the Premier League table, it’s there.’
Norwich, meanwhile, remain six points from safety. It has long been said that Farke’s Canaries play well and lose and, for periods during the first half, they did not look like the division’s bottom side.
They would have scored only their sixth away goal of the season had striker Teemu Pukki not lost his composure when blasting against the post from three yards out on 13 minutes.
The final 15 minutes of the half, however, belonged to the home side. Jack O’Connell should have scored when sweeping on target from close range only for Norwich midfielder Kenny McClean to deflect wide.
But the Blades did find their breakthrough goal on 36 minutes and, while Sharp’s header was unstoppable, it owed everything to the delivery of Lundstram, the midfielder whipping a cross so teasingly into the six- yard area from the right wing.
Lundstram then twice went close with shots that could have doubled the lead before half-time.
A quiet second half was memorable only for H enders on’ s stupendous denial of a City leveller as the Blades held out for the win.