Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson has been told he left himself open to criticism with prior comments about parent club Manchester United as his recent performances come into question.
Henderson has been beaten nine times from outside the penalty area in his opening nine games for the Reds, while his distribution has also been called out, especially against Aston Villa on Monday night.
Former Forest midfielder Lewis McGugan says Henderson does need to improve with the ball at his feet based on his work this season, as he questioned the wisdom of Henderson being so critical in his in his comments about United when joining Forest on a season-long loan.
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Speaking in August, Henderson accused United of wasting 12 months of his career by making him serve another season as David de Gea's deputy, saying it was 'criminal' on United's behalf.
On the latest Garibaldi Red podcast, McGugan felt those words were ill-judged as he called on Henderson to step up his kicking after coming under fire for his performance in the 1-1 draw against Villa in that area.
"In terms of his distribution, it's really poor for a goalkeeper of that standard, who has been where he's been. If that's how football is going, with teams wanting to play out from the back to some degree, that has to be a big part of his game," he said.
"The big thing for me was his interview when he left Man United, it put a big target on him and set the wrong tone. It has you fighting people already. As soon as you make a mistake or your form drops, people are ready to come at you because there is that target on your back.
"For a club like Manchester United, I think it was disrespectful and he didn't need to say anything. He got out of the club and got to play, still in the Premier League at a fantastic club like Nottingham Forest.
"Just let your football do the talking. When you say things it opens you up because you're always going to through a blip in the season, it's just reality. When you say what you've said, people are waiting to come down on you."
Henderson was beaten once again from long range when Ashley Young cancelled out Emmanuel Dennis' first Forest goal to earn a point for Villa as Forest climbed off the bottom of the Premier League table. McGugan felt there was little Henderson could do about the goal given the quality of the strike.
"I looked at the goal again this morning. There's nothing Henderson can do about that. It's a great strike. It's come through a body, Steve Cook I think. He can't see it until it's late. It's one where sometimes you have to say it's a good strike," he said.
"You look into every goal and try to critique them but from a coaching point of view, I don't think there's a lot you can do about that one."
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