Manchester United boss hopeful Paul Pogba will be available for Tuesday night's Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir; Solskjaer also confirms Luke Shaw's recovery from a hamstring injury could take six weeks
Tuesday 24 November 2020 10:45, UK
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said goalkeeper Dean Henderson "wants to stay at Manchester United", amid reports he could leave on loan in January.
Henderson, who made his international debut for England against the Republic of Ireland earlier this month, has found first-team opportunities hard to come by this season, featuring only three times for United since returning from his two-year loan spell with Sheffield United.
Reports emerged over the weekend that Henderson is considering leaving Old Trafford on loan again in January, with his place in England's Euro squad potentially hanging in the balance, and the in-form David de Gea unlikely to be displaced.
Henderson's last appearance for United came in the 2-1 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League. Solskjaer refused to say whether the England international would be in his team for the reverse fixture at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, but was clearer on the 23-year-old's future.
"Dean wants to stay at Manchester United and play for Manchester United," said Solskjaer.
A journalist asked Solskjaer if he understood Henderson's desperation to play, suggesting there was potentially only one game - an EFL Cup quarter-final against Everton - for him to play before the year was out if not selected for the game against the Turkish side on Tuesday night.
Solskjaer replied: "I can't see the logic in him playing only one game before Christmas. Do you know how many games we've got? So I disagree completely that Tuesday could be make or break for Dean.
"He has come back in, he is training really well, he is maturing. He is training with, for me, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He has got potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
"It's a great competition between them, so I don't buy that argument that it is a make or break for him."
Solskjaer is hopeful midfielder Paul Pogba will be available for Tuesday's Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir.
Pogba, who has struggled with fitness this season after battling coronavirus, picked up an injury while on international duty with France last week, which ruled him out of Saturday's 1-0 home win over West Brom in the Premier League.
"We hope he [Pogba] is going to be available. He trained this morning, we'll see if there's any reaction when we report tomorrow."
Solskjaer also provided an update on the injury to left-back Luke Shaw, who picked up a hamstring problem in the 3-1 win over Everton before the international break earlier this month.
Asked to clarify the length of Shaw's layout with injury, he said: "I hope nearer to four, but with the recurrence of hamstring injuries you can't risk anything and he is still not near training with us.
"We will see how he reacts to the programme he is on. Hopefully, nearer four but probably nearer six weeks."
