Manchester United have not signed any new players this summer, but at least they seem to be holding on to the players they already have.
The club announced a five year contract extension for goalkeeper Dean Henderson, and that likely means he’ll get a fair chance to compete with David de Gea for the No. 1 this season.
“The pathway that I have been on for the past five years has been fantastic for my development and the invaluable loan period at Sheffield United has been part of that,” said Henderson who was also called up to the England squad on Tuesday.
“The goalkeeping department at United is excellent; there are three top-level goalkeepers who have achieved so much in the game and I look forward to working with the group.
“The faith that the manager and the club have shown in me with this contract means a lot to me and will continue my progression as a goalkeeper.
“I’ll be giving everything to improve every day so that I can play as many games as possible for this great club. Now I am looking forward to joining up with the England squad and then preparing for the season ahead.”
Dean Henderson, whom United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already previously deemed the club’s goalkeeper of the future, will almost certainly remain with the club and not get loaned out this season. (He spent the last two with Sheffield United).
This development likely also means that No. 2 Sergio Romero is on his way out this summer now.
“We are delighted that Dean has signed his new contract,” Solskjaer added. “He had another great season at Sheffield United, where he gained a lot of experience and grew both as a player and a person.
“Dean is a fantastic young keeper with the attitude and work-rate to keep improving every day.
“We are in a strong position within the goalkeeping department and that gives us the competition for places that we are looking for in the squad.”
If United were to finally sign Jadon Sancho, would that change your entire outlook on the upcoming season? Or would a logical conclusion to the summer’s most protracted transfer saga not make up the difference between third place United and the top two?
The Glazers seem happy enough right now with Solskjaer, heading into his 2nd full season in charge, and what he has to work with on his roster. They seem to spend more in the summer windows after they’ve missed out on UCL.
It’s almost like top four is their goal or something, as they seemingly spend less in the summers after they’ve met this benchmark.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for Chicago Tribune.com, on Twitter and his cat on Instagram.