Henderson wants to be Man United’s No. 1 and, despite the quiet night against West Ham, he is defending De Gea’s eviction.

MANCHESTER, England – For 120 minutes at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, Dean Henderson’s main concern was finding a way to keep warm.

During flurries of snow on a frosty night in Manchester, West Ham United made a single shot on goal as Manchester United won their FA Cup fifth-round tie 1-0 thanks to Scott McTominay’s goal in extra time. But even when David Moyes’ team failed to help the 23-year-old goalkeeper advance his claims of being the first choice, he still managed to help himself.

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His performance in his 10th start to the season was quiet competition, and in the face of David De Gea’s mistakes during the 3-3 draw with Everton on Saturday, he will do no harm to his hopes of dislodging the Spaniard as No. 1. Henderson is likely to be back on the bench for the trip to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, but more games like this one, calm, organized and uncomplicated, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision will get more and more difficult.

Henderson didn’t do anything spectacular against West Ham, he didn’t need to, but he was still able to show what a good goalkeeper he is. He was in the right position to comfortably save Said Benrahma’s header and when West Ham looked for a goal in extra time, he was confident enough to run to the edge of the penalty area and grab Aaron Cresswell’s high free kick.

There’s no question about De Gea’s ability as a shot-blocker, but he doesn’t step out of his line to relieve pressure on his defenders as often as he should. Henderson did it more than once, and at the end of the first half he claimed a Cresswell cross from the left over Andriy Yarmolenko’s head.

“I always hope our goalkeeper has a quiet night when we play, and most of the time it has happened that way. Today [Henderson] it was clean throughout, “Solskjaer said afterward.” Passing is always the main thing in the glass. I was very satisfied with the mindset, attitude and experience. “

When he was on loan at Sheffield United last season, Henderson made more saves, claimed more crosses and kicked clear more often than De Gea, but there are still aspects of his game that Solskjaer and his coaches would like him to work on. At Bramall Lane he was allowed to hit balls to the midline more often, but at United he is expected to help build from behind. In his pre-match press conference, Solskjaer suggested that Henderson is improving on his feet, and the way he turned Tomas Soucek on his own goal line as the final seconds ticked by was evidence of his growing confidence. It should be noted that at halftime Henderson came out with a coach, not warming his hands, but doing passing drills.

Often the challenge for a United goalkeeper is to stay focused when most of the action is on the other end. “David has been used to this for years: stay focused, keep your eyes on the ball and then suddenly a moment comes and you have to make a save,” Solskjaer said.

Henderson still has a job on his hands to oust De Gea permanently. In September 2019, De Gea signed a gigantic contract that could keep him at the club until 2024, and Solskjaer will be reluctant to have one of his biggest earnings sit in the bank.

For Henderson, playing regular games is the only way his development will continue, and even though he has made 11 appearances so far this season, Solskjaer agrees that’s not enough. “He’s not the most patient,” was the Norwegian’s scathing comment this week.

Sources have told ESPN that Henderson and his representatives are comfortable with Solskjaer’s plan for this season. He will hope to play in the remaining cup matches and most of the Europa League campaign while De Gea continues in the Premier League.

The question, however, will be how long Henderson will be happy with that arrangement. He has the ambition to be number one in England, if not at this summer’s European Championships, then certainly for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

First, he will have to win the battle with De Gea at United. He went unnoticed against West Ham but said the debate over who should get the gloves at Old Trafford will continue.