Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has handed Dean Henderson a Champions League debut after a string of impressive performances in training.
Henderson is one of six changes Solskjaer has made from the side that was beaten by Arsenal on Sunday as United look to continue their perfect Champions League record with victory against Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey.
The 23-year-old played in Carabao Cup wins against Luton and Brighton earlier in the season and now gets another chance to impress and put the pressure on David de Gea.
“He’s ready for it, he’s been training really well, he’s played well in the games he’s played and I think he’s improved and matured really well in the few months he’s been back with us," Solskjaer told MUTV on the decision to select Henderson.
Solskjaer has also included Axel Tuanzebe, Nemanja Matic, Donny van de Beek, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial as he rings the changes, with one eye on the Premier League trip to Everton on Saturday.
But the United boss is confident he has picked a side strong enough to get a result against the Turkish champions and edge a step closer to qualification from what looked like a difficult Champions League group.
“We want to win the game and we have lots of good players. We played Sunday night and again Saturday morning so it’s a case of giving the team fresh legs," he said.
“We’ve started really well [in the Champions League, if we can continue that form and win tonight that will be top notch.”
