admin“He deserves to play for England— Oliver Glasner believes Crystal Palace Player is worthy of the England shirt.
Oliver Glasner believes Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson has a genuine claim to be England’s first-choice shot-stopper.
Henderson has impressed this season, conceding only nine goals across 12 Premier League fixtures. The 28-year-old has recorded six clean sheets—second only to Arsenal’s David Raya, who has seven.
This weekend he will come up against his former club, Manchester United, and boasts a perfect record against them since his £15 million move to Palace (including add-ons) in August 2023, having not conceded in four appearances.
The confident goalkeeper has earned four England caps and is widely viewed as Gareth Southgate’s second option behind Everton’s Jordan Pickford as the 2026 World Cup in North America approaches.
Overtaking Pickford will be no easy task. The 31-year-old has conceded 17 goals in 13 matches this campaign and has represented England at the last four major tournaments. His 81 national-team appearances place him behind only Peter Shilton in terms of all-time goalkeeper caps.
Glasner explained that it is psychologically crucial for a team to establish a clear No. 1 in goal, and he believes Henderson consistently proves he deserves that status at Palace.
The Austrian manager said the Cumbrian-born keeper merits more opportunities with England, though he acknowledged the level of competition.
“Sometimes in football things just happen,” Glasner said. “Before I arrived, Roy Hodgson made a change in goal. Sam Johnstone started against Everton on the day I joined the club, and I said, ‘If I’m coming in, I don’t want to revert back again’.”
“Sam began as No. 1 when I arrived, then he was called up by England, suffered an injury there, and missed the rest of the season. Dean was outstanding in his absence. With goalkeepers, I don’t discuss training—that’s for the goalkeeper coach—but I always want one clear No. 1.”
“They need to know they’re trusted, because when a goalkeeper makes a mistake, it usually ends in a goal. They must feel secure—especially with the manager.”
“If you drop a keeper after one mistake, and then the replacement makes one, you’re stuck. It was obvious Dean was our No. 1, and I made that clear last year.
Sam Johnstone struggled to accept it, so I advised him that leaving might be best, which he did.”
“We brought in Matt Turner, and it was made clear that Dean was the first choice. That doesn’t give him free rein—he must perform—but as long as he’s delivering, he keeps the shirt. The same applies now with Walter Benítez.”
“We value Walter highly. He played 45 games for PSV, appeared in the Champions League, and is regularly called up by Argentina. I’m glad he joined us because we need two excellent keepers, but Dean starts, and Walter respects that.”
“Dean proves his worth every match. We’ve seen how strong Walter is too—he’s had great performances and will get more chances, which he deserves. Dean is exceptional. He should play for England.
But to be fair, when I watched Manchester United against Everton, Jordan Pickford looked pretty good as well.”
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