Crystal Palace secured their spot in the 2026 Europa Conference final on Thursday night, which is exciting news for former Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Dean Henderson spent 12 years at Manchester United, graduating from the academy before challenging David de Gea for a place in the team.
The 29-year-old enjoyed several loan spells during his time at Old Trafford, but left permanently to sign for Crystal Palace in 2023.
Henderson has since become one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League, after winning the FA Cup with the Eagles last term. He will now hope to add the Europa Conference League to his list of honours.
What are your thoughts on the ‘fights’ between Tchouameni and Valverde… does this present an opportunity for United? Or is this a bad omen for a transfer?
Would Tchouameni be the right fit for United's dressing room?
Dean Henderson finally gets to play in a European final
The 2021 Europa League final was disappointing for multiple reasons.
United lost 11-10 on penalties to Villarreal, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer missed out on his chance to win silverware as United manager.
For Henderson, there was another reason to be disappointed. De Gea started the final, and he was an unused substitute.
It will be a different story in this year’s Europa Conference League in terms of Henderson starting, unless he picks up an injury in the final weeks of the season.
That is because Henderson is Palace’s first-choice stopper and he played a role in their 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park, giving the Eagles a 5-2 aggregate victory.
It earned Palace a place in the final against Spanish outfit Rayo Vallecano on 27 May in Leipzig.
In the other Europa Conference League semi-final, Rayo Vallecano beat Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate.
The final is an opportunity for Oliver Glasner to go out on a high.
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Dean Henderson didn’t play in the Europa League final in 2021 when Manchester United lost against Villarreal
- With Crystal Palace qualifying for the Europa Conference League, Henderson is set to play in a European final for the first time, aged 29
- Henderson could be back playing in the Europa League next season if Palace beat Rayo Vallecano
What should Man Utd do with Toby Collyer in summer 2026?
Dean Henderson reacts to reaching Europa Conference League final
Henderson’s career has been an incredible journey so far.
The stopper will now be looking to take Palace into the Europa League next season by winning the Europa Conference League.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Henderson said: “It’s incredible. At this football club, you see the connections with the players and supporters. It’s fantastic. It’s unbelievable.
“The manager came in and made this team believe they can win any game. It’s been a difficult season with the amount of games we’ve played, but to get to another final is fantastic.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
