Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear he intends to play David de Gea again despite the rise of Dean Henderson in the veteran's absence.
When asked about leaving the Spanish goalkeeper on the bench in the Red Devils' 2-1 win over Brighton on Sunday, the boss said he simply wanted to provide his player an acclimation period following a personal departure from the club and the international break.
But Solskjaer has also acknowledged he essentially holds two first-choice players who each deserve match time.
What has been said?
"I've got two great keepers, two number 1s," Solskjaer told BBC Sport. "David de Gea spent a while back home and then he had internationals so he hadn't played for about a month. He'll definitely play football for us again."
Comparing goalkeepers
De Gea carries the experience of being a top-line goalkeeper for many years, but Henderson has statistically outperformed him in a limited sample this season.
In 24 Premier League starts, De Gea has conceded 1.23 goals per 90 minutes and saved 67.5 per cent of his shots faced. Henderson, meanwhile, has conceded just 0.62 goals per 90 minutes while stopping 84 per cent of his shots faced in domestic action.
That all has added pressure to Solskjaer's decision-making, as he must balance De Gea's stellar historic track record against Henderson's strong recent form.
Bigger picture
Because of the lack of clarity surrounding De Gea's situation at United, speculation has grown regarding a potential transfer. How Solskjaer approaches the next couple of months will likely influence the goalkeeper's thinking heading into the summer window.
For now, it seems the manager intends to give De Gea opportunities to start before the end of the campaign.
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