Broken promises and disappointment - Dean Henderson is leaving Manchester United with mixed emotions

Dean Henderson said he only ever wanted to play for two clubs when he was growing up: Carlisle and Manchester United. Henderson swapped Brunton Park for Old Trafford when he was just 14 years old and nine years later, he was handed his United debut by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Luton in September 2020 with an appearance in the League Cup.

After making his debut, a gleeful Henderson wrote on social media: "I dreamt about this my whole life! What an unbelievable feeling to make my debut for the club I love and a clean sheet and a win to top it off."

Henderson spent two excellent seasons on loan at Sheffield United, in the Championship and Premier League, prior to making his debut and he shared photos of himself as a child wearing Manchester United kits throughout that period.

He was excelling in Sheffield, but his ultimate goal was to become United's first-choice goalkeeper and he wanted everyone to know. "Dean has made some great choices over the years and has developed fantastically," said Solskjaer in June 2020.

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"We're looking at that in terms of where he's going to be next season. This season has proved a great experience for him, he's done himself some favours with his performances, and proved he will be England's No.1 and Man United's No.1 at some point."

United's coaches were excited about Henderson's progression and Solskjaer welcomed him into the squad in 2020/21, but there was a battle about to emerge between himself and David de Gea which wasn't going to be healthy.

De Gea began the season as first-choice and Henderson was used in cup competitions, however, by the end of the campaign, the Spaniard had been usurped and Solskjaer was