‘Devastating’ – Roy Hodgson makes Dean Henderson admission with Crystal Palace summer signing set for sideline spell
Roy Hodgson has admitted that Dean Henderson has been left ‘devastated’ after picking up a thigh injury that will force the Crystal Palace summer signing to sit on the sidelines.
Henderson, 26, went off in the 19th minute at Old Trafford in his first start for the South Londoners since joining from Manchester United in the last week of the summer transfer window.
The Eagles paid the Red Devils a fee that could rise to £20million for the former Sheffield United loanee.
Henderson has had to wait for his chance under Hodgson, with Sam Johnstone starting the season as the regular first choice.
He was replaced by Johnstone on Tuesday night as Palace fell to a 3-0 defeat in the third round of the EFL Cup.
“He’s devastated,” said Hodgson.
“He’s been so good in training – so good in the month we’ve had with him.
“He was always going to play in this game and was really looking forward to it.
“To pick up an injury in the same sort of area, not the same place but the same area where he’s had the previous injury, is absolutely devastating for him.
“He and we can only hope it’s not as serious as perhaps the first scan shows, and he’ll be able to get back relatively quickly from it, but whatever break, whatever the length of that break, it’s really come at the wrong time.
“He’s come in and done very well, everyone likes him, he’s got on well in the group.
“He’s been excellent support to Sam [Johnstone], his performances in training [have been] excellent.
“He was building up to the game on Tuesday night, the perfect platform, and then he gets a muscle injury – I couldn’t have written a worse scenario.
“He wants to play. He’s been training and doing very well and was looking forward to taking on the competition, but now he has to sit on the sidelines. What can you do – what can you say? Very little.
“The second scan will show the extent. At the moment they’re not prepared to give a timescale until such time as the second scan has been completed. So maybe when we meet here [in a pre-match press conference] in a couple of weeks, I might have an answer for you.”
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