Dean Henderson on England hopes, FA Cup final and becoming a Crystal Palace legend

Dean Henderson has won only two England caps but is convinced he will become the Three Lions No.1. “When I achieve it, I'll enjoy it a lot,” he said. But first the goalkeeper will have his big hands full trying to win the and become a club legend.

And like other stars for the 12th-placed team in the , the former trainee insists he has “points to prove” on the Wembley stage against .

Henderson, 28, personifies the confidence coursing through a club where there is the believe that reaching the club’s third FA Cup final is not enough.

“Marc (Guehi) said to us after (the quarter-final) that the goal wasn’t just to reach Wembley, it was to win the FA Cup,” he said. “We are one step closer to that but we have a job we have got to finish off. It will be against a great team, it will be difficult but we are going in with nothing to lose, the pressure will be on them guys.”

This is a Palace squad which includes fellow England 2024 stars Guehi, Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze and Olympic silver medallist Jean-Philippe Mateta who all came close to glory last summer. And now all want to be winners.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

“You just have to look at our team, the players within our group, players with aspirations to win things,” Henderson added. “I think that is the biggest change. You have players with points to prove, who want to play for the biggest things.

“When I left United and came here, it was to take Palace to the next level, that is how it was described to me so, one season on, and hopefully we can lift silverware and get into Europe.”

Henderson, who is not shy of making his voice heard on and off the pitch, includes himself in the “points to prove” category. “Absolutely yes,” he stated.

He joined Manchester United aged 14 but slammed the club after claiming he was promised he would replace David de Gea for the 2021-22 season. Henderson joined Palace on a permanent deal in 2023.

He contested the starting spot with Sam Johnstone before his fellow England keeper moved to and he finally got the No.1 shirt. And this proud Cumbrian made his England start in October nearly four years after his debut off the bench.

“You can only go off my form this season - I am up there with the best in the league goalkeepers wise,” he said. “Of course I know my level. The reality is that the only way you get seen is producing it week in, week out and I have been doing that.”

Has he now become the keeper everyone expected him to become at the start of his career? “I think I was unbelievable at Sheffield United,” Henderson responded. “I think I'm just going to keep going from strength to strength over the next couple seasons, and that's when I'll be maximising my potential.”

Becoming England No.1 is a big motivation. “That's what I do it for,” he added. “Obviously I want to play for my country and I believe that opportunity will arise and I look forward to grabbing it with both hands.

“You've got to earn the right to be in those positions where you can accumulate so many caps. It’s just step by step, and it's been a long journey to achieve that, but when I achieve it, I'll enjoy it a lot.”

Henderson even admits his disappointment that Palace did not compete for Europe through the Premier League after a slow start to the season.

“But if someone had offered us this after 10 games, and you are 90 minutes away from European football and creating history for the football club,” he said. “We don’t speak about it a lot, but you will go down in history and you will be classed as the best ever Crystal Palace team no matter what and it will get spoken about for years to come.

“I know it means everything to the fans. This team will go down as the greatest Palace team ever. That will be something we’re all really excited to be involved in. So now, we’re looking forward to it. Fingers crossed it goes to plan and a European tour will be nice for the fan base. I’m sure they’ll make a noise all around Europe.”

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our