Manchester United are close to signing Andre Onana and his arrival will allow Dean Henderson to depart following a frustrating spell which included a snubbing of Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag is happy to sell Dean Henderson
Dean Henderson is finally edging closer to a permanent exit from Manchester United – a year after he snubbed talks with Erik ten Hag.
United are close to signing Andre Onana from Inter Milan to replace David de Gea. His arrival is of huge importance to Ten Hag, who worked with the Cameroon international at Ajax and wants him to implement a fluid passing style from the back.
Onana’s arrival is also important to Henderson, who will be allowed to end his frustrating stint at United. The 26-year-old goalkeeper spent last season on loan with Nottingham Forest and The Athletic reports that the club have now opened talks over a permanent transfer.
Henderson made his debut for United back in 2015, yet has made just 29 appearances for the first team since, with De Gea blocking his path. He has been vocal in his desire for regular first-team football and was hugely critical of the club last summer, accusing them of “criminal” treatment as he headed out on loan to Forest.
He deliberately avoided holding talks with the then newly-appointed Ten Hag because he was firm in his belief that an exit would be in his best interests. Henderson made 20 appearances for Forest last season before an injury saw Keylor Navas take over in between the posts for Steve Cooper’s side.
The Daily Mail says Forest are willing to pay as much as £20million for Henderson and that fee will help United offset the £43m Inter are demanding for Onana. United are able to command a sizable fee for Henderson because he has two years left on his contract.
Should the transfer go through, Henderson would become the No1 goalkeeper at Forest, who are light in the position at present. Navas has returned to parent club Paris Saint-Germain following the expiry of his loan, while Wayne Hennessey is currently out with a minor injury, meaning youngster George Shelvey is set to play against Valencia in a pre-season friendly this week.
Dean Henderson could fetch £20million for Manchester United (
Image:
Jon Hobley/Getty Images)
Henderson was open in his criticism of the way United handled him last summer. He had already made up his mind about an exit, without speaking to Ten Hag. “I didn’t want the manager to come in and be able to see me in training,” he told talkSPORT.
“I knew he’d probably want to keep me, so I tried to do it all before I left for the season. I told all the hierarchy I need to go and play football, I don’t want to be here playing second fiddle.
“It was all planned out. I was almost gone before the manager came through the door and I haven’t spoken to him since. To be honest with you, it’s probably been the toughest 12 months of my career.”
Onana might not be the only goalkeeper arriving at United this summer. The club are also keen on Zion Suzuki – a 20-year-old keeper playing for Japanese side Urawa Reds.
