Sheffield United: Newcastle United made contact about Nottingham Forest bound Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson

Although the North-East club eventually decided to pursue other options, with Burnley’s Nick Pope now poised to join Eddie Howe’s side, Henderson was the subject of a telephone call involving senior members of United’s hierarchy and representatives acting on behalf of St James’ Park during the build-up to Christmas.

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The discussions, designed to gain an insight into Henderson’s character both on and off the pitch, took place soon after a consortium headed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund purchased the Premier League club from Mike Ashley. Despite reports to the contrary, the Sports Direct chief has not yet expressed an interest in buying United should Henry Mauriss’ proposed takeover fail. The American businessman submitted a £115m offer for HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s shareholding earlier this year. But the English Football League is still to provide clearance.

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Aged 25, Henderson made 86 appearances for United following his temporary transfer from Manchester United to South Yorkshire in the summer of 2018. Before returning to Old Trafford, he helped them win promotion from the Championship and then secure a ninth-placed top-flight finish after his agreement was renewed.

United provided Henderson with a glowing reference after being approached by Newcastle. But with Pope now emerging as their number one target, Henderson now looks destined for Forest instead; potentially on a 12 month basis again.

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