Crystal Palace had two players in action for England against Finland as Dean Henderson and Marc Guehi were named in the starting XI.
The £20m glovesman was given his first start for the Three Lions – having made his last appearance as a substitute against the Republic of Ireland 1,431 days ago.
It was a nice treat for the Crystal Palace No.1 – who usually sees Aaron Ramsdale step in when Jordan Pickford is left out – although he didn’t have much to do as England dominated Finland in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League clash.
However, Alex Howell of the BBC noticed Dean Henderson do something interesting, which we feel could be a cause of concern for Crystal Palace.
Why Dean Henderson moment should worry Crystal Palace in Finland 1-3 England
In the opening 45 minutes, it was intriguing to see John Stones take Henderson’s kicks – akin to a Sunday League match where the goalkeeper cannot kick far enough.
Of course, the 27-year-old is more than capable of launching the ball long, while he is equally adept at playing short passes, so it was odd to see the Manchester City No.5 taking his kicks.
Howell remarked: “The most interesting part of Dean Henderson being in goal so far is that John Stones is taking his goal kicks. That’s two he’s taken when England are taking a short kick.”
In our view, the man from Whitehaven may have wanted Stones to take his kicks to alleviate some pressure to his groin.
As some Crystal Palace fans will recall, Henderson suffered an injury just minutes into his debut for the Eagles, a 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford in September 2023, after hoofing the ball high upfield.
That action caused a reoccurrence of a groin injury suffered by the glovesman while he was on loan at Nottingham Forest in the 2022/23 campaign, where a tear kept him sidelined for five weeks.
Interestingly, Nottingham Forest actually decided not to sign Henderson on a permanent basis due to his niggling groin problems – according to The Athletic.
Therefore, we believe Stones took England’s kicks against Finland to ensure Henderson did not suffer any unnecessary injuries, as the shot-stopper may have felt his groin early on in the game.
Who Oliver Glasner has in reserve at Crystal Palace
If Henderson does need to be sidelined due to any injury problems, Oliver Glasner will have to turn to unchartered waters in Matt Turner.
The United States international – who arrived on loan from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day – was acquired to replace Sam Johnstone after his £10m move to Wolves.
However, Nottingham Forest shoved Turner aside after just one season in favour of Matz Sels and Carlos Miguel due to a series of mistakes, so it would be far from ideal if Glasner was left with the American and Remi Matthews as his only options.
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