Sheffield United will keep goalkeeper Dean Henderson on loan for the remainder of the delayed 2019/20 after reaching an agreement with parent club Manchester United.
Henderson’s initial loan at Bramall Lane was due to expire this week, which ordinarily would have been well after the end of the campaign. But the unique circumstances this season has thrown up ensured that a special temporary extension needed to be agreed.
There were no guarantees that an agreement between the clubs would be reached and there was a possibility that Henderson could have been asked to return to Old Trafford.
In a statement, the Blades noted that it was only after ‘prolonged discussions’ over the last few weeks that they were able to keep the 23-year-old stopper in Sheffield a little longer. The deal has also been publicly confirmed in Manchester.
Henderson was a star of the club’s promotion campaign last season and has made the step up to become one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Henderson has played every game this season, other than those for which he was ineligible against his parent club, and is firmly in the mix to win the Premier League Golden Glove. He was also expected to be selected for England’s Euro 2020 squad before the tournament was postponed.
Sheffield United have additionally agreed temporary contract extensions to cover the remainder of the season with Phil Jagielka, Jack Rodwell, Kieron Freeman and Leon Clarke.
It has also been confirmed that Dutch forward Richairo Zivkovic will remain at the club until the end of the season as a result of his loan from Changchun Yatai being extended.
However, there is no such extension for Greek defender Panagiotis Retsos, who will return immediately to parent club Bayer Leverkusen after playing only 14 minutes for the Blades, or on-loan Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic.
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