SHEFFIELD UNITED loan star Dean Henderson only wants to return to Manchester United next season as their first-choice keeper, reports say.
The England Under-21 star has helped the Blades to fifth in the Premier League, whilst Spain No1 David De Gea has been below his best for seventh-placed United.
And the Manchester Evening News say Henderson has told confidants he has “no interest” in going back unless United assure him he will start as their top stopper.
They also suggest Old Trafford chiefs will consider De Gea’s form when they weigh up Henderson’s future.
The 22-year-old Cumbrian has arguably reached new heights this campaign, after he was an outstanding part of the Blades side who won promotion last term.
He then shone against France in the U-21s Euros, sparking claims he could soon make the step up for both the senior England team and his parent club.
Henderson even liked a Twitter post with a sad-looking picture of De Gea, captioned: “When you realise you’ve gone from United’s No.1 to United’s No.2… Dean Henderson.”
But two months ago Henderson revealed his devastation at abuse from rival fans last season, chiefly Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday.
He told Sky Sports: “Certainly last year at Hillsborough and Elland Road it wasn’t a pleasant time for me and my family.
“A lot of the accusations were completely horrendous. If it was racism people would be getting banned from stadiums. And for that, I think it is the worst thing you can ever get called.
“For me coming from a good family, it was hurtful. And people don’t know that it had a massive impact on me for a good two to three months.
“At certain times I was really lonely. I used to go back to my apartment, sit there and wonder, ‘How has this happened to me?’. So for that it wasn’t nice at all but people never know that.”
Journalist Dan Hall claimed the trolling and accusations faced by Henderson even led to the loanee contemplating killing himself.
But Henderson’s displays never seemed to suffer.
And indeed he added: “I came out as a much stronger person mentally. For a lad at 22 years old, people don’t realise what I went through last season.
“I just take it on the chin and keep moving forward as I always would do.”
Now, over the next few months, Henderson is tackling another huge test – striving to prove he is good enough for an old Trafford return next term as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s new No1.
