'Dean Henderson destined for England,' says Sheffield United boss

Henderson, on loan from Manchester United, showcased both his bravery and his reactions by scrambling clear from the feet of Mario Vrancic during the closing stages of today’s Premier League fixture; preserving the lead Wilder’s team had established when Billy Sharp pounced towards the end of the first-half.

The block ensured United remained firmly in the hunt for European qualification and, with Gareth Southgate set to name Henderson in his Three Lions squad for the friendlies against Italy and Denmark, Wilder said: “We’ll all be very surprised if he’s not named in the upcoming England group and we’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get an opportunity in one of the next two games.”

With Henderson’s agreement with United set to expire at the end of the season, Wilder has already approached officials at Old Trafford about the possibility of extending it for a second time.

The 22-year-old, capped by his country at under-21 level, was a member of the United team which gained promotion from the Championship last term.

Although Wilder has appeared to rule out the possibility of acquiring Henderson’s services on a permanent basis, he is hopeful Manchester United will allow him to remain in South Yorkshire next term.

“He’s Manchester United’s player and his loan runs out at the end of the season,” Wilder said, when asked to elaborate on Henderson’s situation. “Dean will be the biggest voice in it. If you speak to Dean, he wants to be Manchester United’s number one. He has never shied away from that. But he’s progressing nicely and he enjoys playing football.”

Enda Stevens was withdrawn towards the end of the meeting with the visitors from Carrow Road, who remain at the foot of the rankings.

But Wilder confirmed the wing-back had been withdrawn as a precautionary measure, and has not suffered a recurrence of the calf problem which forced him to miss Tuesday’s FA Cup tie at Reading.