Nottingham Forest have approached Manchester United over the possibility of taking goalkeeper Dean Henderson back on loan for a second season – an offer that has not gone down well with The United Stand's Beth Tucker.
Is Dean Henderson leaving Manchester United this summer?
It's been a brilliant start to the transfer window for the Red Devils so far this summer. After a quiet few weeks, the club have finally started to flex their financial muscles.
First through the door was Chelsea academy star and former fan favourite Mason Mount, who finally joined the club for a reasonable fee of around £55m after a protracted transfer saga.
The next big name to Old Trafford was Andre Onana, who the club signed from Italian giants Inter for £47m – a move made all the more necessary after long-term goalkeeper David de Gea left the club earlier this month after his contract expired.
The arrival of Onana has also all but guaranteed Englishman Dean Henderson no longer has a future at the club.
After spending a season on loan with Forest last year, the Garibaldi have reportedly come back in for the 26-year-old.
According to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Steve Cooper's side have submitted a "loan deal proposal" for the player, but the fact it is not a permanent offer means it has not gone down all that well with some Red Devils fans.
Indeed, The United Stand host Beth Tucker didn't hold back when giving her opinion on their YouTube channel, saying:
"A loan deal for Dean Henderson. Are you having a laugh, Nottingham Forest? Are you having a laugh?
"You had him on loan last year, he did very well for you until he got injured. You clearly want to get him again. Just pay the money to sign him.
"Pay the money to sign him, it's as simple as that."
How good is Dean Henderson?
As Tucker points out, prior to his injury, Henderson was performing really well for the Tricky Trees, and according to Sofascore, put up a respectable rating of 6.88 across his 18 Premier League games for the Midlands side.
It can be rather hard to judge the effectiveness of a 'keeper for the simple reason that a single mistake can completely ruin what could otherwise be a brilliant display, which is why looking at his underlying numbers can help to paint a clearer picture of his actual ability – and they look pretty good.
According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, he sits in the top 8% for penalty saves, the top 16% for defensive actions outside the penalty area, the top 28% for crosses stopped, and the top 29% for clean sheet percentages and touches per 90.
With Forest keen to bring the 6 foot 2 titan back to the City Ground, it shouldn't be surprising to hear Cooper heaped praise on the goalkeeper several times last season, saying: "He's a really good goalkeeper and we're so happy that he's with us."
He has even received praise from opposition managers, with Antonio Conte describing him as "incredible" after he saved a Harry Kane penalty last season.
It's evident that Henderson is, at the very least, a Premier League-quality goalkeeper and one that would do an excellent job for Forest. Hence, it's not too difficult to see where Tucker's frustration comes from, and it'll be interesting to see whether a fee is eventually exchanged for the United man.