The England international allowed a late header from Simon Kjaer to slip past him against AC Milan that plenty feel he should have been keeping out
Dean Henderson has been accused of playing up to the cameras for Manchester United, with Paul Scholes saying the goalkeeper allowed Simon Kjaer's header to slip past him against AC Milan as he was “trying to make it more difficult than it should be”.
The Red Devils appeared on course to establish a useful first-leg lead in their Europa League last-16 showdown with Milan, but Amad Diallo’s classy flick was cancelled out in the closing stages.
A finger of blame has been pointed in Henderson’s direction, as he dived backwards and failed to get a strong hand to an effort that sailed over his head, with Scholes of the opinion that the England international should be focusing more on getting the basics right.
What has been said?
United legend Scholes told BT Sport after seeing Henderson’s mistake cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side: “He should save it.
“I think he's trying to make it a little bit more difficult than it should be.
“First and foremost keep the ball out of the net. He should save that, there's no doubt about it, he'll know that.”
What did Solskjaer have to say?
The Red Devils boss refused to dig out his goalkeeper on the back of a 1-1 draw that leaves his side with plenty to do at San Siro, but he did concede that the highly-rated shot-stopper could have done better.
The Norwegian said: “I've seen him [Henderson] save them, but it's the structure that we lose. We dropped too deep and we get blocked off and they get the header on.
“We should have attacked the ball with the men we had there.”
Any other lessons learned against Milan?
A first senior goal from Ivorian teenager Diallo has ramped up excitement levels around the 18-year-old forward.
He connected with a pinpoint pass from Bruno Fernandes to guide a glancing header into the net while having his back to the target, with a lively 45-minute cameo put in following his introduction at the interval.
Elsewhere, Diogo Dalot caught the eye for Milan against his parent club, with the Portuguese defender offering enough to suggest that he could still have a future at Old Trafford.
Scholes said of the versatile 21-year-old: “He does seem a really good lad, speaks well.
“He's done the right thing to get games at a big club. That will do him the world of good.
“He played in an unfamiliar position, on that left side, but even his crossing with his left foot was brilliant. I thought defensively he did everything he had to do.
“Where does he stand now? I think he'll come back at the end of the season.
“Pre-season will be big for him. It's time for him to really perform in those pre-season games. Put a bit of pressure on [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka.
“He's different to Wan-Bissaka. We know what a great defender Wan-Bissaka is. I think he's got more quality going forward. It's just a decision for the manager and what he wants.”