Why Dean Henderson should replace De Gea as Man Utd number one next season

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Bengaluru, June 22: Manchester United are historically one of the most successful clubs in not just England but also in the whole Europe.

They might have endured a bit of a downfall in recent seasons and are not competing for the title anymore but they still remain arguably the biggest club in English football. With former fan favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now in charge of the club, the Red Devils have shown signs that they can make a comeback to the top in the future with the right transfer decisions.

During their rich history, one things that has been common for the Red Devils is that they always had one of the best goalkeepers in the world. In the last three decades, they had players like Peter Schmeichel, Fabien Barthez and Edwin van der Sar as the last man in their defence who were all world-beaters. In recent years, Spanish international David de Gea has been the undisputed number one at Old Trafford and just like his predecessors, the 29-year-old has also been regarded as one of the very best in his position.

But in the last couple of seasons or so, we have seen the three-time Manchester United Players' Player of the Year facing a significant dip in form. Things do not look as promising with the Spaniard as they were a few years back and when Solskjaer handed the captaincy to Harry Maguire following Ashley Young's departure, eyebrows were raised as De Gea is one of the senior players at the club having been at the club for long whereas Maguire was signed just a few months' back.

With young Manchester United keeper Dean Henderson making a strong case for himself on loan at Sheffield United, there are reports that the 23-year-old could replace De Gea as the number one at Old Trafford next season and we believe that it will be a good move by Solskjaer. Here are three reasons why Henderson should replace De Gea as the number one next season.

3. De Gea is past his peak but can still command a big fee

David De Gea might have been one of the best keepers in the world for several years but he looks past his peak at the moment. Moreover, he just does not seem to be happy Manchester United anymore and that might be a reason behind his fall from grace.

There are some top clubs in Europe who have been strongly linked with the Spaniard in the past and despite his poor form, it should not be difficult for the the Red Devils to find a buyer for the 29-year-old. At such an uncertain time financially when Manchester United have a more than capable successor, it might prove to be a smart decision by Solskjaer to sell De Gea and use that to reinforce in other areas.

2. Henderson is an academy product and deserves his chance

It is becoming increasingly difficult for academy products of top clubs to nail down a place for themselves in the senior setup due to increased competitiveness of the Premier League. Most teams often ignore their best young players as they simply cannot afford the risk of promoting them to the senior team. Manchester United have always been an exception to this and that has been the case even in recent years. With Henderson proving himself in the Premier League already, he deserves his chance to become the Manchester United number one and luckily for him, his emergence and De Gea's dip in form have coincided.

1. Henderson has better numbers playing for a lesser team

While the league table might not reflect that Sheffield United are a lesser side when compared to Manchester United this season, there is no denying the fact that Chris Wilder is working wonders with the Blades whereas Manchester United are pretty much under-performing.

Henderson has been level ahead of De Gea this season and he is in fact in the running for the best keeper in the Premier League this campaign. On the other hand, De Gea, who earns £375,000 a week at Old Trafford, has been far from his usual best and Henderson beats him in almost every aspect.

Both the keepers have faced similar number of shots during the season but Henderson has saved around 75% of them compared to De Gea's 69%. The Spaniard has made 4 errors leading to goals whereas Henderson has been at fault for one goal. Henderson is six years younger than De Gea and might choose to leave Old Trafford soon if he is not given a chance in the first team with Chelsea already having registered their interest in the Englishman. Therefore, Solskjaer needs to make a decision this summer regarding his goalkeepers and should ideally make a call for Henderson rather than De Gea.