Blades goalkeeper Henderson earns first England call-up

Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has been called up to the England squad for the first time following the withdrawal of Tom Heaton through injury, the Football Association has announced.

Henderson, who is on loan at Bramall Lane from Manchester United, will link up with Gareth Southgate’s squad at St George’s Park on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers away to Czech Republic on Friday and Bulgaria on Monday.

The FA said in a statement that Heaton had returned to Aston Villa for “further assessment” on an unspecified injury sustained during the 5-1 win over Norwich.

Henderson, who has played for England from under-16 to under-21 level, described his call-up as a “dream come true”.

“This is what dreams are made of… it’s a dream come true to receive my first @England senior call up!!” he said on Twitter.

The 22-year-old is in his second season on loan with the Blades, having played a key role in their promotion to the Premier League last season.

He has yet to make a senior appearance for his parent club and has previously spent time on loan at Stockport, Grimsby and Shrewsbury.

Henderson had found himself in the spotlight following an error which gifted Liverpool the winning goal in their recent 1-0 victory at Bramall Lane.

Blades boss Chris Wilder, though, had always felt the young goalkeeper could quickly put it behind him.

“I think Gareth looks at the bigger picture as well and knows that a young man will make mistakes and how does he recover from it?” Wilder said.

“Dean has made a couple of mistakes in his time and he has recovered wonderfully well.”

Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope are the other keepers in Southgate’s squad.

FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.

Latest in
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is expected to sanction plenty of sales this summer
When does the summer transfer window open?
Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta could both do with improving their respective attacks this summer
Arsenal to make bold move for Liverpool star with uncertain Anfield future: report
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Phil Foden of England reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifier between England and Albania at Wembley Stadium on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
'When I see Phil Foden play, he just seems like a shy lad - that holds him back a little bit. He has been tried in every position, but he just hasn’t performed': Ex-England star makes bold claim about Manchester City man
Arsenal's William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes embrace each other in celebration at full-time of the Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on 25 January, 2025
Arsenal face losing Gabriel AND William Saliba, as new fears arise: report
Kevin De Bruyne of Man City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Manchester, England.
Kevin De Bruyne touted for shock move to South American giants: report
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - MAY 18: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of AS Roma, celebrates after the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and AS Roma at BayArena on May 18, 2023 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho planning Premier League raid for superstar: report
Latest in News
Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta could both do with improving their respective attacks this summer
Arsenal to make bold move for Liverpool star with uncertain Anfield future: report
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Phil Foden of England reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifier between England and Albania at Wembley Stadium on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
'When I see Phil Foden play, he just seems like a shy lad - that holds him back a little bit. He has been tried in every position, but he just hasn’t performed': Ex-England star makes bold claim about Manchester City man
Arsenal's William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes embrace each other in celebration at full-time of the Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on 25 January, 2025
Arsenal face losing Gabriel AND William Saliba, as new fears arise: report
Kevin De Bruyne of Man City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Manchester, England.
Kevin De Bruyne touted for shock move to South American giants: report
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - MAY 18: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of AS Roma, celebrates after the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and AS Roma at BayArena on May 18, 2023 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho planning Premier League raid for superstar: report
Jack Grealish
Manchester City report: Jack Grealish poised for European switch, with price revealed