Dean Henderson finally reveals incredible 3-word message he received from David de Gea at Man United

Dean Henderson has revealed an incredible three-word message he received from ex-teammate David de Gea at Manchester United.

It seemed like Dean Henderson would eventually take over from David de Gea between the sticks at Manchester United.

The Academy graduate was excelling on loan spells during the early parts of his career and it looked like Ole Gunnar Solskjær was going to give him the chance to succeed the Spaniard.

He started 10 of the final 12 Premier League games for the club in the 2020/21 campaign and United lost just once in that time.

However, De Gea reclaimed the starting spot in the following season which ultimately led to Henderson departing on a permanent transfer in the summer of 2022.

Many fans were conflicted about who deserved the starting spot at Old Trafford and put the two goalkeepers up against each other.

Yet, Henderson has great respect for De Gea and believes that he is one of the best the game has ever seen.

“Listen, the thing is with David… if he wants it, he’s the best I’ve ever seen,” the current Crystal Palace goalkeeper said on the Fozcast. “He was the best shot-stopper I’ve ever seen.”

Henderson was not around the first-team squad at Old Trafford when the now-33-year-old was at his very best but was able to find out what made him tick during that period.

Between 2016 and 2018, many considered the United goalie to be the best in the world and he consistently made saves which seemed almost impossible to make.

Henderson explains that when he asked De Gea how he felt during that period, the Spaniard replied with a brilliant three-word message.

“I spoke to him about it. I said, ‘do you know when you were at your best, how did you feel before games?’ And he was like, ‘I just knew’, he just knew he’d save everything…”

De Gea and Henderson are both now excelling away from United at Fiorentina and Crystal Palace respectively.

André Onana took the leading role at Old Trafford in 2023 and has been one of the club’s best performers so far this season, despite two high-profile mistakes in recent weeks.

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