‘Dean Henderson to replace Everton’s Jordan Pickford for England’ – ‘Absolutely’
Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson could “absolutely” replace Jordan Pickford as England’s first-choice goalkeeper, according to Ally McCoist.
The ex-Man United goalkeeper has gone under the radar this season, quietly keeping the joint-third most clean sheets in the Premier League this season with nine.
Whilst other teammates have been linked with big-money moves, such as Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, or Jean-Philippe Mateta to Man United, Henderson seems settled at Selhurst Park.
However, that won’t stop the shot-stopper from having ambitions of his own as the goalkeeper may be eyeing the number one spot in England’s starting line-up, but he will have to convince Thomas Tuchel that his performance against Man City was a freak occurrence.
Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson for England, ‘Why not?’
Pickford has been the de facto first-choice for the Three Lions since making his breakthrough in 2016.
However, the Everton goalkeeper has not been without his critics, and the former Sunderland man was dropped by Lee Carsley in favour of Henderson following a poor performance in England‘s 2-1 loss to Greece in 2024.
Whilst commentating during Saturday’s (12 April) match-up against Man City, Darren Fletcher and McCoist discussed the possibility of Tuchel choosing Henderson over Pickford on TNT Sports (12.38pm).
Fletcher: “I would suspect that with a new England coach he’ll be hoping that he could put some genuine pressure on Jordan Pickford for that starting shirt.”
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Henderson | Pickford |
| Appearances | 31 | 31 |
| Goals conceded | 40 | 38 |
| Clean sheets | 9 | 9 |
| Save percentage | 68.5% | 70.5% |
| Errors leading to goal | 0 | 1 |
McCoist: “Absolutely! Why not? He’s got the captain’s armband this afternoon as well.
“You look, and they’ve only conceded eight goals in 2025 in the league, which is the best in the league, so far.”
The commentator’s curse struck hard in the second-half, as Henderson was at fault for City’s fourth goal, and conceded five against the reigning Premier League champions.
Dean Henderson will need defensive reinforcements to aid World Cup push
Football Insider Verdict
As Marc Guehi looks set for a move to Liverpool, Henderson will be desperate to see Palace spend big on a replacement this summer.
Daniel Munoz has been linked with Man City and Barcelona, and whilst the Colombian excels going forward, he remains an important outlet for Palace’s goalkeeper when building from the back.
Goalkeepers can only be as good as the defenders in front of them allow them to be, and the 24-year-old’s exit will undoubtedly make the ex-United shot-stoppers job more difficult.
Next season will be a make-or-break campaign for players like Henderson, who find themselves on the outskirts of their national team set-ups, ahead of the World Cup in 2026.
A good season in net for the Eagles next year could be allow the 28-year-old to move ahead of Pickford in the pecking order, but a poor season could see him drop out of the squad completely.