Manchester United star Dean Henderson can fulfil bold 2017 ambition with Newcastle

If you bump into supporters from Grimsby, Shrewsbury or Sheffield United, they will all tell you they made the same prediction about Dean Henderson - that he was always destined for the very top. For a while, it appeared as though he would prove them right at Manchester United.

However, while the academy graduate will no doubt have also been confident of his chances of making it to the top, his mapped out pathway is set to feature an off-course step to Newcastle during the upcoming transfer window. That is on the proviso his proposed switch to the Saudi-backed club goes through.

Of course, their gain will come as a loss to United as they prepare to start life under Erik ten Hag, who actually did make previous moves to bring Henderson to Ajax. Ultimately, though, his departure one way or another is the price that must be paid to accommodate a rejuvenated David de Gea.

READ MORE: Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson closing in on move to Newcastle

This is not the first setback that Henderson has encountered. He has already shown how much they spur him on.

Indeed, from the moment Henderson pulled on the Grimsby shirt for his Football League debut, on Boxing Day in 2016, it was clear there was something different about the United prospect. Bold, brave and with unwavering confidence, there is nothing stopping him from achieving his own lofty ambitions at St James' Park and beyond.

"When I was growing up I was an outfielder, so I was looking at the likes of Ronaldo as my hero," Henderson told GrimsbyLive in January 2017. "Once I went in the net, then I started looking at Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar. I looked at them and realised I wanted to be like them.

"Now a new era has come and you've got the likes of