Reporter saw Dean Henderson do something “interesting” in 3-1 England win, could be a worry for Crystal Palace

Dean Henderson and Marc Guehi were picked to England’s starting XI against Finland, and both played for Crystal Palace.

The £20 million glovesman earned his first start for the Three Lions, having last appeared as a substitute against the Republic of Ireland 1,431 days ago.

It was a nice treat for Crystal Palace’s number one, who usually relies on Aaron Ramsdale when Jordan Pickford is unavailable, albeit he didn’t have much to do as England trounced Finland in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League match.

However, Alex Howell of the BBC witnessed Dean Henderson do something odd, which we believe could be cause for alarm at Crystal Palace.

Why Dean Henderson moment should worry Crystal Palace in Finland 1-3 England

It was amusing to see John Stones take Henderson’s kicks in the first 45 minutes, much like in a Sunday League encounter where the goalie is unable to kick far enough.

Of course, the 27-year-old is more than capable of firing the ball long, as well as making short passes, so it was unusual to watch the Manchester City No.5 take his kicks.

Howell commented: “The most unusual aspect of Dean Henderson’s time in goal so far is that John Stones is taking his goal kicks. He’s taken two when England takes a short kick.

In our opinion, the man from Whitehaven may have wanted Stones to take his kicks to relieve strain on his groin.

As some Crystal Palace fans will recall, Henderson was injured five minutes into his Eagles debut, a 3-0 Carabao Cup loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in September 2023, after hoofing the ball high upfield.

That move resulted in a recurrence of a groin injury sustained by the glovesman when on loan at Nottingham Forest in the 2022/23 season, when a rip kept him out for five weeks.

According to The Athletic, Nottingham Forest decided not to sign Henderson on a permanent basis due to persistent groin issues. We believe Stones took England’s kicks against Finland to ensure Henderson did not sustain any unnecessary injuries, since the shot-stopper may have felt his groin early in the game.

Who Oliver Glasner has in reserve at Crystal Palace

If Henderson is forced to miss time due to an injury, Oliver Glasner will have to rely on untested talent in Matt Turner.

On transfer deadline day, the United States international joined on loan from Nottingham Forest to replace Sam Johnstone, who had moved to Wolves for £10 million.

However, Nottingham Forest replaced Turner after just one season in favour of Matz Sels and Carlos Miguel owing to a series of errors, so Glasner would be far from happy if he was left with only the American and Remi Matthews as choices.

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