A day earlier, United had drawn with Crystal Palace in the Premier League, when De Gea was sidelined, Henderson guarded the goal for the Red Devils. Solskjaer explained after the match that de Gea's absence was due to personal privacy, and now the reason for this has finally been revealed by the British media. British media also said that the boss let De Gea not have to rush back to the team. This means that Henderson, the young goalkeeper who has always wanted to be the number one goalkeeper, will get more opportunities in the near future.
After the match against Crystal Palace, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only said that De Gea did not play this game for personal reasons, without revealing details. According to British media reports, the reason for De Gea's temporary departure from the team was to return to China to accompany the birth. His singer girlfriend Edurne Garcia is about to give birth to their first love crystal, so De Gea rushes back to Spain to accompany his girlfriend to production.
The British "Daily Mail" learned that De Gea tended to rush back to Manchester United as soon as possible after the birth, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not in a hurry to let De Gea return as soon as possible. Instead, he believes that De Gea should stay in Spain to spend more time with his family, and can stay until after the national team matchday at the end of this month.
The newspaper pointed out that this means that Manchester United's substitute goalkeeper Henderson will have an opportunity. While De Gea is far abroad, he will play as the main goalkeeper in his last six games, which is a great opportunity for Henderson, who has always hoped to become United's number one goalkeeper.
The 23-year-old, who finally returned to his home team after a two-season loan spell at Sheffield United, has never made a secret of his desire for a position as the main goalkeeper for Manchester United and the England national team. In the past, it has been reported that he was worried that the lack of playing time at Manchester United would affect his national team career, and Henderson was disengaged and sought to go on loan again.
But after De Gea's temporary departure, Henderson not only played against Crystal Palace, but is also expected to continue as the starting goalkeeper in the Premier League against Manchester City and West Ham, as well as the two legs of the Europa League against ac Milan, and the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City.
Henderson has kept eight clean sheets in his last 13 appearances. The Post pointed out that if Henderson continues to perform well, it will be very difficult and controversial for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to change directly back to De Gea's starting line after De Gea's return. It is not uncommon for players to leave the team because of a dowry, but the manager can rest assured that De Gea is absent for a month, which means that United's competitive landscape remains open.