Harry Kane had scored his last 21 penalties and it looked inevitable he would convert from the spot again when Tottenham were awarded a penalty against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Kane collected the ball and the routine seemed merely a formality.
Manchester United loanee Dean Henderson had something to say about that. Henderson saved the penalty with a strong right hand and noise erupted at the City Ground. Henderson punched the air in celebration and removed his baseball cap to salute the crowd, who still believed Forest could earn a result. Tottenham defeated Forest 2-0 at full-time but Henderson had kept his side in the game.
Henderson made a string of outstanding saves in the match and he was Forest's standout performer. Henderson has been Forest's best player for three consecutive Premier League matches and he is demonstrating why his self-belief is so endearingly high.
ALSO READ: Why Hannibal Mejbri hasn't completed Manchester United loan exit yet
Henderson was pictured talking with Kane after the match and the Tottenham centre-forward did not appear to mind that his unblemished four-year penalty record had finally come to an end. Henderson has only conceded one of the five penalties he has faced in the Premier League and that is the best record of any goalkeeper to face at least five spot-kicks in the competition.
David de Gea hadn't saved a penalty for five years until last season in comparison. United's decision to keep De Gea and loan Henderson to Forest was questioned this summer and comparisons between the pair are set to increase if Henderson continues to deliver excellent performances. Henderson exudes confidence and he is backing up his controversial interview after leaving United.
“To be honest, it has probably been the toughest 12 months of my career,” Henderson told talkSPORT after signing for Forest on loan. "It has been tough, hard, and I am so happy I have gone out the other end of it. I am so excited to be at Nottingham Forest.
“The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was ‘you’re coming back here to be the No.1.’ I got COVID, came back, so I should have still been the No.1, but then unfortunately nobody followed through with what they had told me.
“To sit there and waste 12 months, it is criminal really, at my age, I was fuming. I didn’t really want the manager [Erik ten Hag] to come in and see me in training because I knew that he’d probably want to keep me so I tried to do it all before I left for the season."
Henderson's comments were so scathing that most on social media speculated that his time at Old Trafford was over, but they are forgetting he is contracted at United until the summer of 2025 and De Gea is now in the final year of his contract at the club, albeit the club can exercise a one year option.
The Manchester Evening News also revealed last year that Henderson made it clear from a young age that the only two clubs he wanted to play for in his career were Manchester United and Carlisle United. The goalkeeper was born in Whitehaven, Cumbria.
That means the last chapter of Henderson's story at Old Trafford is yet to be written. Ten Hag wants his goalkeepers to be proactive and for their distribution to be exemplary, but De Gea does not fit that profile, despite retaining his No.1 position this season.
De Gea is uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, his passing is wayward and his overall distribution is well below what is expected from an elite goalkeeper. He does not have the quality to orchestrate transitions and he invites pressure back onto United.
Although Ten Hag would have had his doubts about De Gea's quality to meet the criteria he demands from goalkeepers, he was never going to drop him this summer after the Spaniard enjoyed his best season in years, in which he regularly earned his side points.
The decision to keep De Gea and to send Henderson on loan was understandable and convenient because it has given Ten Hag more time to choose between the two goalkeepers. Should Ten Hag decide that De Gea can not deliver what he wants, the 31-year-old will not receive another year on his deal and Henderson will return from his Forest loan, ready to take what he has dreamt of.
Henderson is excelling on loan at Forest and he has sent a reminder of his talent after spending too long on the United bench. Henderson, 25, has the ability and the mentality to become No.1 at Old Trafford and he still has his best years ahead of him.
He might have expressed his frustration about his treatment at the club this summer, but he remains under contract and he has always wanted to represent United. There is light at the end of the tunnel for Henderson after years of exercising patience.
Henderson's dream of becoming Manchester United's No.1 is within touching distance.
READ NEXT:
