There’s no pleasant way of dressing Man United’s transfer business up over the past few years, it’s really just been a disaster in every way.
Big money has been spent on players without really thinking how they fit into a system or if they’re what the team needs, there’s a clear lack of character and leadership within the squad and it seems to be a case of taking what they can with exits rather than holding out for decent fees.
At this stage, it’s clear what David de Gea is – an exceptional shot-stopper when he’s on form, but he’s woefully short of ability when it comes to playing the ball out from the back, and he does go through dips in confidence where he hurts the team.
Dean Henderson probably needs a run of games to actually show if he’s capable of starting for United long-term, but sitting on the bench is doing nothing for him anymore.
A loan move to another Premier League club would make a lot of sense, but it also looks like his potential loan move to Nottingham Forest will no longer contain an option to buy:
Dean Henderson deal update. Talks in progress also today between Man United and Nottingham Forest, no agreement yet on buy option clause value so it could be removed. ???????? #NFFC
Deal could be completed on simple loan. Work in progress.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 16, 2022
Time will tell if Henderson shows enough to come back and challenge for his job, but it would’ve been madness to agree to the option to buy when all it would do is limit what he could be sold for in the future.
Even if he performed well and United didn’t want him, it would still leave Forest in a position to activate the deal and flip him immediately for a profit, so it does finally look like there’s some semblance of long-term thinking happening at Old Trafford when it comes to their transfer dealings.
