Dean Henderson calls on Manchester United to ‘paint the city red’ against Manchester City
Dean Henderson has expressed his excitement at the possibility of Manchester United beating arch-rivals Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-finals tonight.
The two Manchester giants face each other at Old Trafford with a trip to Wembley on the line and United looking to avenge their defeat to City at the same stage last season.
Henderson looks set to keep his starting spot after his assured showing against Everton in the quarter-finals and is eager to secure a crucial derby victory.
Dean Henderson said Manchester United need to ‘paint the city red’ against Manchester City
Henderson hopes to start the Carabao Cup semi-final after a fine performance against Everton
‘This one will mean a lot,’ he told Manchester United’s official website. ‘Obviously the vibe will be massive throughout the city.
‘The city is mostly red, and we need to paint it red. But we’re getting better all the time, so hopefully we can get a good result.
‘One team has got to win it, so I think both teams will go for it. We’ll probably take the game to them and have a go, and see what comes off.’
Henderson has failed to take the No 1 spot from David de Gea since returning from his loan at Sheffield United, starting just twice in the Premier League and once in the Champions League.
He endured a shaky return to Bramall Lane last month when he dawdled on the ball, allowing Oliver Burke to close him down and set up David McGoldrick’s opening goal.
But the 23-year-old has kept clean sheets in all of United’s games in the Carabao Cup and was solid against Everton, making a save at full-stretch to keep out Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick in the 2-0 victory.
Henderson (left) has been unable to supplant David de Gea (right) since returning from loan
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping for a similarly confident performance from his keeper in the Manchester derby tonight as United look to make their first major final in three years.
‘It’d be fantastic,’ Henderson said. ‘I know a few Man City fans from when I was growing up, and obviously there was rivalry between us, even at school and things like that.
‘To beat them and to be involved in it would be a dream come true.
‘They’re the sort of things you think about as a young kid. It’d be amazing, and something I’m really looking forward to.
‘The club’s built on silverware. We need to win trophies and obviously we’re improving and evolving on the pitch, but no one cares unless we win trophies. So we need to put that to the forefront of our minds, and we need to find a way to do that.
‘Whether it’s the Carabao Cup, the Premier League or the Europa League or the FA Cup, we need to turn these good performances into silverware.’
A run of four wins in five games has turned United into surprise Premier League title contenders, with Solskjaer’s men level on points with Liverpool with a game in hand.
