Erik ten Hag attempted to persuade goalkeeper Dean Henderson to return to Manchester United from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest in January.
United had to react to the decision of Newcastle to recall Martin Dubravka from his loan spell at Old Trafford, prompting them to draft in Jack Butland from Crystal Palace on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign. Henderson has previously spoken out against his treatment by his parent club.
Henderson spent last year sat kicking his heels on the bench as David De Gea remained United’s first choice under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then interim coach Ralf Rangnick. The England international exited on loan this season following the arrival of Ten Hag.
The future of Henderson remains unclear but it has now emerged that he rejected the opportunity to return to Old Trafford in January. As outlined by the Manchester Evening News, he received a phone call from Ten Hag in an attempt to tempt him back to the club.
The Dutch coach had not previously spoken to Henderson and wanted to gauge his interest in returning to the club midway through his loan spell at Forest. Ten Hag does not believe the goalkeeper’s development is being best served at the club.
That belief may have been strengthened by Forest’s late signing of Keylor Navas from Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window. The Costa Rican is likely to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of both Henderson and Wayne Hennessey for the remainder of the campaign.
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However, Henderson insisted that he did not wish to return to United at this juncture and the club subsequently moved for Butland to provide competition for David De Gea. It remains unclear what the future holds for Henderson, but with United evaluating signing a new goalkeeper and renewing De Gea’s contract – he may seek a permanent exit.
Butland, 29, who has played 87 games in the Premier League and been capped nine times by England, said following his arrival at Old Trafford: “This is an amazing club and one that I am now proud to represent.
“I’m really looking forward to working with an unbelievable goalkeeping group, supporting each other every day to create the best training and playing environment for the team.
“I’ve played against David de Gea and represented England alongside Tom Heaton. They are top-class keepers and I am relishing the opportunity to compete alongside and support them as teammates.
“There is a lot that this group can achieve this season and I’m excited to play my part in helping everyone to reach these ambitions.”
