Goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, who recently signed for Nottingham Forest on loan says he felt like a ‘caged animal’ at parent club, Manchester United.
Henderson also described United’s treatment of him while he was at the club last season as ‘criminal’.
The England international took over as Man United’s first-choice keeper in the second half of the 2020/21 season under manager, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.
He insisted that he had been assured by the technical team that he would go into the next season as the starting goalkeeper.
However, after missing Euro 2020 through injury and the start of the league campaign after contracting COVID, Henderson played second-fiddle to David de Gea.
In fact, Henderson played only three cup games under Solksjaer and his interim replacement, Ralk Rangnick.
“To be honest, it has probably been the toughest 12 months of my career. It was frustrating, because I turned down so many good loans last summer for that reason, and they would not let me go,” Henderson said.
The goalkeeper described it as “criminal” stating that he felt betrayed to have been basically relegated to the bench for the entire season.
“The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was: ‘You’re coming back here to be the number one. I got Covid-19, came back, so I should have still been the number one but then nobody followed through with what they had told me,” he added.
“To sit there for 12 months, it is criminal really, at my age. I was fuming. I told the hierarchy that I need to be playing football and to let me go, and I was almost gone before the manager [Erik ten Hag] came through the door. I have not spoken to him since I worked hard on and off the pitch to keep improving day in, day out, and now I am looking forward to the season with Nottingham Forest.”