Dean Henderson characterized the fact that Nottingham Forest has allowed seven goals to be scored on them from outside the box as "pathetic."
During the previous campaign, David de Gea reclaimed his position as the first-choice goalkeeper for Manchester United. Meanwhile, Henderson was eager to leave the club in order to play more frequently, which led to Nottingham Forest signing him to a contract for the upcoming campaign.
The contract that Henderson has with United is set to expire in 2025, and while he may still have a future at Old Trafford, the goalkeeper currently has the task of assisting Nottingham Forest in avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season, which will not be an easy task.
Only Leicester (24) has given up more goals in the Premier League than Forest (22) this season, and Henderson's goalkeeping has been called into question as a result of Forest's recent string of crushing losses. Only Leicester (24) has given up more goals than Forest this season in the Premier League.
Henderson had a strong start to the season, with strong individual performances. However, he has now conceded seven goals from outside the box, and he has now responded to that statistic, explaining that it is a "pathetic" record and something that needs to be addressed.
"It's probably avoidable," Henderson told Sky Sports. "Whether it's losing possession of the ball on the edge of the penalty area or having players turn their backs on the opponent, basic defensive mistakes are costly. Who knows, maybe I could have helped save one or two of them. Who knows.
"Obviously, we are working on it, and obviously, it affects me personally; however, I recognize that it is ultimately my responsibility to address it. Every day when I look at myself in the mirror, I wonder how it's possible for me to have gone from conceding almost no goals from outside the box in the previous Premier League season that I played in to conceding seven goals in just seven games.
"It's pathetic, so for sure I take it personally and I always look at myself first and think about what I can do better to help the team. That is something that we have been working on every single day, and we really hope that we will soon be able to prevent that from occurring.
If you ask any goalkeeper, they will tell you that they believe they can stop any goal that is scored against them. Whatever the circumstances, that is the mindset of a goalkeeper. It doesn't matter. It is possible that it will deflect off of your defender, leaving you to wonder why you didn't read that earlier.
"This is football; you always strive to be better, and both as a team and as individuals, we are learning all the time," the coach said.
