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Joe Mewis

Sheffield United promotion hero makes Leeds United admission

Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has revealed that he was on the verge of signing for Leeds United last summer before he joined Sheffield United.

The 22-year-old goalkeeper, who received his first England call-up earlier this season, enjoyed a successful 2017-18 campaign at Shrewsbury Town, as his parent club looked to send him out to a Championship side last year.

Henderson would go on to be a key part of the Blades' successful promotion campaign, claiming more clean sheets than any other stopper in the Championship - but it could have been very different for him.

"Every club in The Championship were after me at the time," Henderson told the Sheffield United website .

Dean Henderson is back for a second season on loan at Bramall Lane (Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

"I'd been down to Leeds, and it looked as though I was signing there. Bristol City were very keen as well, and then my agent rang me and said that Sheffield United had been on the back burner. I said to him 'Why haven't you told me?', because I really wanted to go there.

"The gaffer rang me, we spoke on the phone for an hour, and to be honest I was walking there before I even put the phone down. I was just buzzing to come to Bramall Lane. It has been the best decision of my career so far. I've made some friends for life; the fans have been brilliant with me and hopefully we can make many more great memories."

Leeds were in the market for a goalkeeper that summer and ended up signing Jamal Blackman from Chelsea on a season long-loan as competition for the incumbent stopper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Blackman would suffer a broken leg in an under-23s fixture in November, with Bielsa subsequently revealing that the Blues loanee was set to start the club's next first-team game before his injury.

Leeds then signed Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid in January, with Peacock-Farrell leaving the club last summer, while Henderson has signed up for a second season at Bramall Lane.

Visit our  dedicated Leeds United page  for the latest news, views and analysis from Elland Road.

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