Manchester United have endured a rocky time of it recently.
They finished in the top four, of course, but their form towards the end of the campaign was patchy at best.
They beat Leicester City 2-0 on the final day to seal their qualification but they dropped points against Southampton and West Ham United, and were also beaten by Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
That match featured two clangers from goalkeeper David de Gea and there have been some doubts over his future in recent months.
He remains the club’s undisputed No.1, playing in every single one of the club’s Premier League games this term.
However, Dean Henderson has offered the club plenty of food for thought.
The United goalkeeper has spent the season on loan at Sheffield United, keeping 13 clean sheets as the Blades finished in the top half of the Premier League table.
Ironically enough, he kept the same amount of clean sheets in the league as de Gea but his stock is considerably higher than the Spaniard’s.
There have been links with a possible move to Chelsea, but it appears that he is set to commit his future to the club.
Football Insider reports that the stopper is in advanced talks with United over a stay at the club, and he is set to sign on the dotted line.
There is said to have been a breakthrough in recent days, with Henderson set to massively increase his wages.
United are said to have informed Chelsea that they have no intention of selling the 23-year-old to a top-four rival.
However, there is the possibility that he could leave on loan again next season, as de Gea remains the first-choice, and Sergio Romero is a fine back-up option.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
United need this.
Henderson is a top-quality goalkeeper and he is simply waiting in the wings to replace de Gea whenever that day may come.
It does appear that the United stopper is declining in ability – his mistakes against Chelsea strengthen this case – and it would not be a surprise if manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to phase him out over the next few seasons.
A possible replacement would cost millions in the transfer window, but United have one waiting in the wings.
They need him to stick around.