Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson is targeting an England recall for this summer’s European Championship after “going through hell and back” over the last year.
The 27-year-old was instrumental in Palace’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday and has enjoyed a strong return to the starting XI after Sam Johnstone sustained an elbow injury on England duty in March.
Henderson himself has endured a torrid time with injuries over the last 12 months. A thigh problem ruled him out of the second half of Nottingham Forest’s campaign last season after making a strong impression on loan.
He arrived at Palace on transfer deadline day in August for a fee which could rise to £20million ($25m) only to suffer another thigh problem 17 minutes into his debut in a Carabao Cup defeat by former side Manchester United in September. An indifferent spell of form then came in seven games between December and February after an injury to Johnstone, and he was replaced as Palace No 1 when his rival returned to fitness. Since that elbow injury to Johnstone, however, Henderson has taken his chance.
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After impressing at domestic level he now has set his sights on a return to the national team squad in time for Euro 2024.
“Why not?” Henderson said. “When I was fit in the past I’ve always been in the England setup. You don’t become a bad goalkeeper overnight, if it’s injuries or whatever, sometimes you need a block of work to get back to your best and get match sharpness like every player does.
“My job’s just to be the best I can be for Palace. I’ve got a block of work in there now and I’m starting to get back to my best.
“I’m enjoying my football now, I’ve got a smile on my face. I know I’m fit. I know I’m willing, I know what I’m capable of and I’ve just got to prove that and hopefully I’ll get the nod (for England). It’d be amazing and something that I’d be really happy to get involved in.”
Henderson (r) was initially part of England’s squad with Pickford (l) and Johnstone (c) for the last Euros before withdrawing due to injury (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
Everton’s Jordan Pickford is England’s long-established No 1, with a combination of Newcastle United’s Nick Pope, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, Johnstone and Henderson backing him up in recent years. Pope, though, has been out since December with a shoulder injury and Ramsdale has lost his place at Arsenal to David Raya.
Henderson described the anguish of missing time through injury but dismissed any concerns about the difficulty of travelling to a major tournament as the third-choice goalkeeper.
“It’s not as lonely as the last 11 months have been, I’ve been to hell and back,” he added. “It’s been tough getting injury after injury and with things not quite working out, it’s been really difficult.
“I’m happy now. I’m enjoying myself. I’m back playing, that’s a big tick. I would love to go in any capacity, I’ll go and save shots, try and save the penalties, help them out in any way, shape, or form however that comes about.”
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‘He has silenced the doubters’
Henderson has been a revelation since his return to the Palace side. There has been significant pressure on him to perform but he has risen to the occasion. At Anfield he made save after save to deny Liverpool and help secure his side an important victory. But in previous games, he has stood firm.
In a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago he was backed by manager Oliver Glasner despite criticism over what some believed to be a mistake for Chris Wood’s goal, but he had handled well from awkward balls into the box. A section of the away end that evening sang his name in support at full-time.
During a 1-0 defeat by Bournemouth on April 2, he dealt capably with the ball fizzing off the wet surface, while he could do little about Manchester City’s goals in a 4-2 loss last week.
It is that block of games which has helped him to put together a run of excellent performances and silence the doubters. A return to the England set-up is far less of a remote possibility than it would have been at the start of the month and would be deserved.
(Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
