DEAN IS FIRST AMONG EQUALS
SOON on top. Dean Henderson has used the phrase in social media posts since making his professional debut for Grimsby on loan from Manchester United more than four years ago. ‘I’ve known I’ve been on a little journey and when I reach the top I’ll let everyone know,’ he said in a YouTube interview last week. Henderson has never been short of ambition or confidence. He always backed himself to become No 1 at United, it was just a matter of time. Three weeks after his 24th birthday, it would appear that time has come. Having given Henderson a run of six games while David de Gea took a break for the birth of his first child, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team selection for game No 7 was always going to be one of his most fascinating as United manager. The significance of him choosing Henderson over De Gea cannot be underestimated. ‘I’ve got two No 1s, simple as,’ was Solskjaer’s curt response to questions from BT Sport before kick-off. That didn’t wash with Rio Ferdinand, who is convinced his former team-mate will now look to leave Old Trafford after a decade at United. ‘I don’t think two No 1s works,’ said Ferdinand. ‘You need the second keeper to understand he’ll be the back-up. David de Gea is not that guy. ‘If Dean Henderson finishes the season as the No 1, De Gea will be doing all he can to get out of Manchester United.’ The situation has become awkward for Solskjaer ever since he brought the talented but impatient Henderson back from a loan spell at Sheffield United in October. Last night’s win over Brighton was his 20th appearance of a season in which he has also made his senior England debut. He is the future for United and De Gea, now 30, is not. Even if the Spain international wanted to stay, it wouldn’t be realistic to have him regularly sitting on the bench when he is the club’s top earner on £375,000 a week. The issue was always going to be when and how Solskjaer changed the guard, and De Gea’s paternity leave last month was a convenient moment to give Henderson an extended run. Sportsmail revealed that De Gea would rather have returned sooner but was told the decision had been made. It was apparent then that his grip on the No 1 spot was starting to slip, and Henderson (right) has seized his opportunity. There was little he could do about Danny Welbeck’s opening goal for Brighton last night after initially making an excellent save from the former United striker, although there was a worrying moment when he dropped the ball at a corner in the first half. It won’t affect the bigger picture. Solskjaer says both keepers will feature over the remainder of the season, and De Gea could play in Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Granada. But it is clear now more than ever which way the wind is blowing.