Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Dean Henderson wants to stay at Manchester United but maintains it is not his job to keep the keeper happy at the club.
Henderson has featured on just three occasions this season following a two-year loan spell at Sheffield United, including two Carabao Cup appearances and a start in the Champions League Group game at Istanbul Basakeshir three weeks ago.
The keeper, 23, will hope to feature again when the Turkish club visits Old Trafford tomorrow for the reverse fixture. The keeper’s limited action, however, has raised questions about his immediate future and the possibility of him moving out on loan again in January.
Solskjaer yesterday refused to reveal which of his keepers will start although he insists he is happy with Henderson’s progress working alongside David De Gea in recent weeks.
“Dean wants to stay at Manchester United and play for Manchester United,” said the United manager. “He has come back in and trained really well, he’s maturing. He’s had some games, he’s training with, for me, one of the best keepers in the world.
“He’s got the potential to be be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It’s great competition between them, so I don’t buy that argument that it’s a make-or-break for him.
Solskjaer calls on Henderson to impress
“It’s not up to me to keep everyone happy, you know. I’ve said that a few times, that the performances will always be the deciding factor for if you play or not. I think every position that you play for Man United, it’s your duty or your responsibility, to make me and the coaches happy, so there’s a bigger chance that you can play next time.
Solskjaer believes the presence of Henderson, who made his England debut in the recent friendly international with the Republic of Ireland international, has also helped bring out the best of De Gea.
“I’ve been very happy with the competition that Dean has provided for David [De Gea], and the response from David,” he added.
“Dean has not really put a foot wrong. He’s developing and he’s maturing along the way, which I am very happy with. I’m not going to give you the team now, [if] it’s Dean or David, I’m not going to say. But I’m very happy with the reaction of both players, I have to say.”
Solskjaer has also warned Anthony Martial he cannot rest on his laurels after scoring 23 goals last season.
The forward has yet to score in the Premier League this season with his two strikes coming in the Champions League. Solskjaer acknowledges Martial was affected by the three-match ban that followed his dismissal against Tottenham and admits the forward still has some way to go to recover last term’s form.
“I think Anthony last season showed that he’d made big strides,” said Solskjaer. “Now it’s time again to make even bigger strides and, of course, to develop more. He scored, I don’t know, 23 or 24 goals last season, which was a big return.
“But every season is a challenge, and you cannot rest on your laurels, as a right-back, left-back or a centre-forward at Man United. There’s demands, of course, in any position.
“Anthony is no different from other players in our team [in] that he’s not had a pre-season as normal, and he’s working to get to his peak form.
“Obviously he lost three games – or three-and-a-half, almost four games – because he had a three-game suspension and it [the sending-off] was very early in the Tottenham game. So he’s lost a bit of football. Too much football. He scored against Basaksehir last time [with] a good header, so we hope that he’s just going to continue working hard to get to his best again.”
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