Man Utd star to complete transfer exit immediately after Nottingham Forest clash

26 August 2023 , 14:52

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Man Utd star to complete transfer exit immediately after Nottingham Forest clash

Dean Henderson is expected to sign for Crystal Palace after Manchester United gave him permission to have a medical following their clash with Nottingham Forest.

Henderson, 26, will travel to South London on Saturday night to complete a transfer which should prompt the Red Devils to sign a new backup goalkeeper, Fenebahce's Altay Bayindir. The Turkey international has himself undergone medical tests with United staff, taking place in Greece earlier this week amid reports that Erik ten Hag's side were also weighing up a move for Benfica shot-stopper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

Bayindir's arrival hinged on Henderson's future but now, according to the Telegraph, the Red Devils academy graduate is close to joining Palace. Personal terms are yet to be agreed, as are other formalities of the deal.

It's unknown whether or not Henderson's departure will initially be on loan or immediately permanent. Forest themselves, who took a surprise 2-0 lead within four minutes during their trip to Old Trafford on Saturday, were keen to sign the 26-year-old following a positive loan spell last season but couldn't agree a deal with United.

Henderson was named on the bench for the Premier League clash, serving as new £47million signing Andre Onana's understudy. Manager Ten Hag challenged Henderson to "fight" for his place in pre-season but the goalkeeper has been desperate to secure an exit in order to enjoy regular game-time in the lead-up to next summer's European Championships.

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Have your say! Is joining Crystal Palace a good move for Dean Henderson? Give us your verdict in the comments section.

Dean Henderson will have a medical with Crystal Palace on Saturday night (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Speaking last summer following his loan move to Nottingham, he appeared to slam former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian had installed Henderson as his No.1 goalkeeper towards the end of the 2020-21 season, only to revert to picking David de Gea when the new campaign began.

Discussing that nightmare season, during which he made just three appearances, he fumed in an interview with talkSPORT : "To be honest, it has probably been the toughest 12 months of my career. The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was, 'You're coming back here to be the No.1'.

"I got COVID, came back, so I should have still been the No.1, but then unfortunately nobody followed through with what they had told me. It was frustrating because I turned down so many good loans last summer for that reason, and they would not let me go. To sit there and waste 12 months, it is criminal really, at my age, I was fuming."

Nathan Ridley