Dean Henderson told UMM’s YouTube channel that he is ‘obsessed’ with Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart.
The England international shares that Tottenham’s backup keeper is someone who he looks up to and keeps in contact with.
When Henderson was coming through the ranks at Old Trafford, Hart would have been at the top of his game, winning Premier League titles and being the main man for his country.
And whilst it’s sad to see the 33-year-old’s decline over the years, he is someone who is still offering a helping hand to those now breaking through, as Henderson will testify.
“False (on Peter Schmeichel being his idol),” said Henderson. “But this is one that is probably going to chuck a spanner in the works.
“But Joe Hart was my idol growing up. It’s funny because I had his old goalkeeping coach at Carlisle, which is Dave Timmins when I was a real young boy and Joe was breaking through at Birmingham.
“He would always say ‘I have had this young lad, comparing him to you at your age and you are on the right track. You just have to keep going’, so I was just obsessed with him then.
“I keep in contact with him, so that helps. He’s been great. He has been through everything in football. The high and the lows. He’s quite open and honest and he’ll speak to me and sort of guide him along my journey, which I really appreciate as well.”
The main battle for England’s number one jersey is between Henderson himself, Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope.
Whilst many feel Pope is stronger in between his sticks, Pickford holds the trump card because of how he can play out from the back.
That’s what holds Pope back from earning that number one spot, but many feel that Henderson is also very tidy with the ball at his feet and has the all-round package to be England’s number one in the long run.
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