Garth Crooks says he’s not convinced Dean Henderson is worthy of an England call-up yet.
BBC pundit Garth Crooks praised Dean Henderson after yet another Sheffield United clean sheet against Norwich this weekend and put him into his Team of the Week.
But Crooks is, for some reason, not convinced that Henderson deserves to be among the three goalkeepers called into Gareth Southgate’s next England squad.
He said: “Alex McCarthy may have been excellent for Southampton against Newcastle but he couldn’t win the game for them. That’s why I’ve gone for Dean Henderson, the goalkeeper who has suddenly put himself in the frame for an England call-up.
“I must say his double save against Norwich was a match winner. Any keeper who has had very little to do, but can suddenly spring into action and make such a vital contribution to the game must be in a great frame of mind. Whether that in itself is enough to constitute an England call-up I am not entirely sure, but he’s made my team of the week.”
Crooks is right to praise Henderson but it’s not clear where he’s coming from with his reservations over whether he deserves an England call-up.
Tom Heaton is out injured, so it would be a major shock if Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope and Henderson were not the three goalkeepers called up for England’s friendlies this month.
Henderson has a genuine claim to be England’s starting goalkeeper at Euro 2020, given the form of Pickford and the fact that Pope has also been beaten cheaply at his near post at times this season.
For Crooks to say there are still reservations over whether he deserves the call-up doesn’t make much sense at all. Henderson has been simply outstanding this season.
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