Man Utd hero Parker: Henderson presence awkward for De Gea | OneFootball

Manchester United hero Paul Parker believes David De Gea has been put in an 'awkward' position by the presence of Dean Henderson.

United decided to keep Henderson after two successful seasons on loan at Sheffield United.

The 23-year-old impressed this week in an EFL Cup win over Luton Town, and Parker believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has only made things awkward by possessing two top goalkeepers.

He told Eurosport: "What I would like to think is that Henderson has looked at De Gea, a vastly experienced goalkeeper, and he has thought to himself that he can compete and eventually beat him out as the club's first-choice. I hope that was his motivating factor, not the huge new contract he got, otherwise he should have gone back on loan to Sheffield United.

"If he is up for the challenge though, and I have no reason to think otherwise, then he deserves a lot of credit. It's easy these days for players to be content, to stay comfortable. It would have been very easy for him to go back to Sheffield United, where he knows everyone and is the undisputed first-choice, but fair play to him for testing himself.

"I don't think you can give as much credit to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Manchester United as a whole. They've put themselves, and De Gea, in a very awkward situation. We all know De Gea is going to come back into the starting line-up for Saturday's game against Brighton but what happens then if he makes an error? Every goal they concede now is going to be dissected more than before.

"Even if United win you know Solskjaer is going to be under pressure from fans and the media to make a change. It's tough for goalkeepers, you don't get to make as many mistakes as outfield players, and now De Gea is going to be under the microscope more than ever."