Dean Henderson – Fantasy Football Potential

Sheffield United have resigned goalkeeper Dean Henderson from Manchester United on a loan deal lasting until the end of the season. Henderson spent last season at the Blades and was a key component in Chris Wilder’s team that were promoted. Henderson clearly impressed enough for Wilder to trust him with Premier League football, which speaks volumes about the young ‘keeper.

On the move, Wilder has said:

“Dean was always our number one target. We’ve had to fight to get a good deal and that’s part and parcel of our approach in the transfer market. All of us, from myself, to the coaching staff, to the player and the supporters want him playing for us in the Premier League and with a lot of hard word we’ve made that happen.”

Player History

Henderson joined Manchester United from his local club Carlisle in 2011 at the age of 14. A year later he made his debut for the England u16s. That would be the only game he played in that age group as the Cumbrian excelled at his age group.

Between 2013-14 he managed five appearances for the u17s but his career really started to take off in 2016. In the January he was sent out on loan to National League North side Stockport County where he kept three clean sheets in nine games. This did come in two spells as he was recalled half way through as he made the Man United first team bench due to an injury crisis.

The 2016/17 season was much of the same for Henderson at club level. He did leap up two divisions with Grimsby, but he still only played single digits matches for the season. He kept four clean sheets in seven games a he struggled to get into the starting eleven despite his potential. By the time he was recalled again, he had made it as first choice, but due to another injury, Henderson was needed at United.

The summer of 2017 would certainly be a memorable one for the Englishman. He made his England u20 debut earlier in the season was then selected for the u20 World Cup. Unfortunately for him he would play second fiddle again as he managed one match in the tournament. The young lions went on to lift the trophy as Henderson tasted his first piece of silverware.

He’d finally get some much needed game time the next season with League One, Shrewsbury. He helped them reach both the play off final and EFL trophy final. They lost both matches, despite Henderson saving a penalty in the former. He played 48 times in all competitions for the Shrews as he got a healthy number of games under his belt. His performances earned him a place in the League One Team of the Year, and plaudits from many watching him.

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Championship side Sheffield United were clearly one of the, as they took a chance on him to help me push for the Premier League. He played every single minute of their Championship promotion campaign picking up accolade after accolade, the most impressive of which being the golden glove.

Fantasy Football Potential

Goalkeepers are very hit or miss in FPL. The likes of Fabianksi can be very useful players but other lower half teams’ keepers can be useless. I think Henderson will fall in to the Fabianski category as he loves a save and will definitely be busy between the sticks for the Blades next season.

He’s £4.5m, which is always intriguing for goalkeepers. With Sheffield United being a recently promoted team it may be safer opting for somebody like Mat Ryan of Brighton. Most FPL managers agree as Henderson’s ownership is just 0.9% in comparison to Ryan’s 15.2%.

Sheffield United have a reasonable start to their return to England’s top flight. They play Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton in their first five. However, Henderson is trumped again by Ryan who has more favourable fixtures. Overall, it is probably best not to take an early risk on him and stick with somebody you know until he starts scoring some points.

Written by Harry Clark (@HarryClark_)

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