Dean Henderson, a rookie for Crystal Palace, appears destined for yet another stint on the sidelines after Roy Hodgson admitted initial scans on a thigh injury “didn’t look like good news”.
In the Carabao Cup third round matchup against Manchester United on Tuesday night, Henderson made his first start for the Eagles since joining them in a £20 million transfer from Manchester United.
The 26-year-old was Palace’s starting goalkeeper for the first few weeks of this season but was pushed out after less than 20 minutes and was replaced by Sam Johnstone.
Due to a thigh issue that necessitated surgery, Henderson’s loan stint at Nottingham Forest last year was cut short.
While Hodgson hopes for better news from Henderson’s upcoming tests, he acknowledges the first diagnosis is not promising as his team travels back to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.
“He underwent a scan. I’m sorry to tell that the initial scan wasn’t particularly promising, the Palace manager stated.
However, another scan will be performed on him in a week. If we are lucky, that one may reveal slightly less damage than the first, but it didn’t appear to be good news.
Odsonne Edouard, a forward, did not play in the cup match, which United won 3-0, and he won’t be expected to play right away as he deals with a hamstring injury.
In order to prepare for the league match on Saturday at Old Trafford, Hodgson will again make changes to his starting lineup.
You should embrace and look forward to playing against one of the top teams in the world, he said, rather than harboring reservations or fears. “It is a fantastic football arena,” he said.
United boss Erik ten Hag has found himself under the spotlight this season but former England manager Hodgson feels the Dutchman will be facing the same concerns as everyone else.
“The bigger the club, in terms of the support and the money the club generates and the amount of people who follow it, the pressure gets ramped up,” said 76-year-old Hodgson.
“But in fact – certainly Erik would agree with me – that whether you are at Manchester United or a lower league club in England or Holland, to a certain extent the conundrum remains the same.
“You have to work very hard to prepare your team, you have to try and then live with what the team is doing on the field, and make the improvements that you can.
The actual equation doesn’t change – it’s just the volume and noise that do, so I suppose it just comes down to how strong your eardrums are if you get good at blocking out noise. “In the meantime you have to accept from the outside there will be scrutiny and people telling you that you are not doing it the right way.
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