Who Is Dean Henderson?

Dean Henderson joined the Reds as a 14-year-old from Carlisle United in his native Cumbria.

Henderson spent six years with Carlisle after initially starting as an outfield player and he reportedly attracted attention from Chelsea and Newcastle with his performances. An England youth international, he is rated as an outstanding prospect and was tracked by United from the tender age of 10.

"Dean has the potential become an excellent goalkeeper," commented Academy goalkeeping coach Alan Fettis. "He has that competitiveness about him and doesn’t want to be beaten at anything. It’s a very healthy attribute to have, of course.

"However, his major asset is that he is technically good. He’s still a young keeper who works hard to improve, which is what is expected to play for Manchester United. He has got potential but it’s up to Dean to keep striving to improve and, if he does, he could have a good career, as long as he listens to the advice given to him here and works hard. His attitude towards training and games is always first class."

Henderson impressed throughout 2014/15 and was shortlisted for the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award that was won by Axel Tuanzebe. He made 25 appearances but sustained an injury towards the end of the campaign. A safe handler of the ball who always looks confident, the teenager was described as "outstanding" by Paul McGuinness during a review of the season.

The challenge was to step up to United's Under-21 side and hold down a place in goal at that level and his first impressions were certainly favourable. Henderson was outstanding in the Lancashire Senior Cup win over Rochdale and also performed well in the UEFA Youth Cup tie at PSV Eindhoven. However, he was injured in the return game against the Dutch side and spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

A first loan move of his career was sealed in January 2016 when he joined nearby Stockport County and this first-team experience enabled him to build his confidence even further. There was a dramatic recall from the Hatters when David De Gea was injured and Joel Castro Pereira cup-tied, enabling Henderson to be named on the bench for the FA Cup win at Shrewsbury Town. Back at reserve-team level, another fine outing for the goalkeeper came in the 1-0 win at Blackpool in the Lancashire Senior Cup as he captained the team and kept a clean sheet. 

Henderson embarked on another temporary spell away from United when he joined Grimsby Town at the end , initially until January. After making his professional debut in the Mariners' 2-0 win over Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day, he played seven matches in total for the League Two club and was impressive enough to have his loan deal extended until May. However, the spell came to an unexpected end on 3 February 2017 when he was recalled by the Reds following an injury to the then third-choice keeper Joel Castro Pereira.