Andy Cole insists Dean Henderson has NOT done enough to replace David de Gea as Manchester United No.1 – despite Spaniard’s mistakes last season
Andy Cole believes Dean Henderson has not yet done enough to usurp David De Gea as Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper.
The 23-year-old spent each of the past two seasons on loan at Sheffield United and won rave reviews for his performances at Bramall Lane under Chris Wilder.
Although a third consecutive loan to the Yorkshire side was considered, Henderson made it clear he wanted to challenge De Gea for the No.1 spot at Old Trafford.
The six-year deal he signed in August was a clear indication of the sharp ascent he was making in Manchester, and Henderson' performance against Luton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday will have given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plenty to think about.
However, Cole is not convinced Spain international De Gea deserves to be dropped at this moment in time, despite a series of high-profile errors last season.
“I’ll be brutally honest with you, in a good Manchester United team your goalkeeper is redundant for 80-odd minutes,” Cole told marvelbet369.com.
“He’s made one save – which you would expect him to make – and people are talking about being impressed with him. He had nothing to do!
“If that one save makes you impressed with him, I might come back as an American footballer and just take one kick and the run back off the pitch!
“Only time will tell; he is young enough but, for this season, to get in the team above David de Gea... I think David would have to make quite a few mistakes like he did last season for Henderson to get in.
“We all make mistakes - as a centre forward you miss chances, unfortunately they don’t all go in and they get highlighted.
“As a goalkeeper, you make mistakes and they’re highlighted because you’re a goalkeeper.
“But would I put Henderson in the same bracket as De Gea after his loan move at Sheffield United? I wouldn’t; David de Gea has done it for many many years, Henderson has had a fantastic loan at Sheffield United.
“But we’re talking one season over like eight and I’m not quite sure.”
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