“Rattled too many cages” – Pundit says ‘top-quality’ Man United star to blame for exit

Dean Henderson was too outspoken about being good enough to become Manchester United’s number one.

That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool player Stan Collymore, who believes the English shot-stopper ‘rattled too many cages’ at Man United before leaving to join Nottingham Forest on loan earlier this year.

Henderson, 25, has been on the Red Devils’ books since he was he joined their youth academy all the way back in 2011.

However, forced to go out on loan in order to continue his development, the 25-year-old’s most impressive spell saw him transform Sheffield United during a two-season-long loan between 2018 and 2020.

Helping to guide the Blades back to the Premier League, Henderson quickly found himself in contention to become his boyhood club’s new number one, at the expense of veteran David De Gea.

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Things didn’t quite go to plan though and even though former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rotated both keepers, De Gea came off better with Henderson frozen out, and that didn’t change when Erik ten Hag took over.

Now with Forest on another season-long loan, Henderson, who has never been shy in believing he’s good enough to be the club’s first-choice keeper, must once again impress in order to be handed another chance at his parent club, but Collymore thinks the 25-year-old played a part in his departure.

“I think that after his successful loan spells with Sheffield United, Henderson should have kept his mouth shut but what he actually did was go around telling any media outlet that would listen that he was the best and he was ready to become Man United’s number one,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.

“Don’t get me wrong, he is a top-quality goalkeeper and definitely worthy of a place in England’s squad, but I think his outspoken attitude about being good enough and needing more game time was only going to annoy his manager – whoever that was.

“United would have sat there and said ‘we like you, we know you’re good, but let’s keep it in-house’. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are still people at Man United who would say Henderson rattled too many cages by constantly saying how good he is.”