How Ten Hag's phone call to complete unlikely transfer failed

It has been reported that Erik ten Hag of Manchester United called Dean Henderson to lure him back to Old Trafford but the goalkeeper didn't buy into his ideas.

Den Henderson is at Nottingham Forest on loan from United where he has played almost every match since he signed for the club.

Ten Hag was desperate to strengthen his squad by adding a goalkeeper in January after Newcastle United recalled Martin Dubravka from United due to unavoidable circumstances.

READ: Is Ten Hag creating his own empire from dust?

Henderson was sure he was going to be David de Gea's back up and he turned down Ten Hag after a lengthy conversation.

Henderson has always wanted to be the number-one keeper choice at United but that didn't happen under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford.

When Ten Hag came in at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, he loaned him out to Nottingham but he now feels like Forest is shaping the player into the keeper that he wants.

Forest signed Keylor Navas on deadline day from PSG and that means that Henderson might be dropped in the starting XI to accommodate Navas.

What if Ten Hag had good plans for Henderson and he never realised? What if his era at Nottingham has come to an end?

One thing with Ten Hag is that it will be hard for him to hand him another golden opportunity at United now that he wants obedient players.