Dean Henderson has saluted his time in non-league football as being key to his development - just like England rivals Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale.
The Manchester United goalkeeper is going through a difficult spell at present, having been starved of action this season, making just three appearances in three separate cup competitions. He saw a potential loan move in January fall through and has been twiddling his thumbs on the bench for the vast majority of the season with number one David de Gea in fine form.
This weekend sees international football take centre stage but Henderson was overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate, who has called up Fraser Forster following drop-outs by both Ramsdale (injury) and Sam Johnstone (illness). Forster joins Nick Pope and number one Pickford in the squad. Crucially, all the aforementioned stoppers are first choice at their employers, unlike Henderson.
Whilst the Three Lions' squad prepare for friendlies with Switzerland and Ivory Coast, the 25-year-old has been reflecting on his career journey. His senior debut came during a loan spell with National League North side Stockport County in 2016 and since then he has had four further temporary spells with Grimsby, Shrewsbury and Sheffield United (twice).
Speaking to Man United's official website, Henderson compared his journey to similar loans experienced by his fellow Three Lions stoppers. "I think when Jordan Pickford was going out, at the start he went to Carlisle and it was an eye-opener for me. He was getting involved in the England squad and had the move to Everton. I’d got to follow that sort of pathway.
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"He had a lot of games behind him and this was a reason he got the move to Everton and, firstly, in the Sunderland team. He had the games behind him. You don’t just go into the first team as a goalkeeper through the academy. It doesn’t work like that. For me, I followed the pathways so well, I did exactly those steps.
"I played for Stockport in the Conference North, Grimsby in League Two, Shrewsbury in League One and then Championship and Premier League for Sheffield United to come back and create a situation here (at Man Utd). I think it's massively important to do that.
"Look at Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal, he’s done the same. Look at Sam Johnstone, he’s done the same and played a lot of games. Nick Pope. There are ones who actually get through and some will be missed off the thing because they haven’t played enough games at a young age. So I speak really passionately about it. You can see I can go on about it all day. We followed a great pathway."
Henderson has fond memories of that first spell out at Stockport. "I remember going there when I was a young kid," he added. "To be fair, I absolutely loved it. It was tough, really hard, as a young boy. Going into that division was an eye-opener for me. I’m thankful for the opportunity given to me by the manager at the time, Jim Gannon, for sticking by me because I didn’t play too well.
"But I really enjoyed it, getting battered around as a goalkeeper in that league really sort of made me who I am today. I was really getting smashed on crosses, kicking the ball 80 yards on to the striker’s head and, if I didn’t do so, the manager was screaming at me from the touchline. It stood me in good stead and I really appreciate the opportunity they gave me."
Henderson has won just one England cap - in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in 2020 - and missed out on last summer's European Championships. He picked up a hip injury shortly before the tournament began and Ramsdale was called up as his replacement. Ramsdale has since moved to Arsenal and become number one there and has impressed hugely in his first season at the Emirates. His England credentials have only improved thanks to his fine form this season and the struggles of Pickford.
