Dean Henderson may have to leave Manchester United to become a regular for England, according to David Seaman.
Henderson returned to Old Trafford in August following an impressive two-year loan stint at Sheffield United.
The 23-year-old proved himself as one of the most consistent shot-stoppers in the Premier League in 2019-20, helping the Blades secure a respectable ninth-place finish in their first season back in the top-flight under Chris Wilder.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to bring Henderson back to United amid David de Gea's struggles for form between the sticks, and there was much debate over which man would start the new campaign as the club's No.1.
The Norwegian head coach ultimately decided to keep faith with De Gea, leaving his younger colleague with no choice but to bide his time on the bench and make the most of any opportunities in cup games.
Henderson has featured in five matches across all competitions for United so far this term, and managed to impress enough to earn a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad.
The former Sheffield United loanee came on as a half-time substitute for Tom Heaton in a 3-0 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland on November 12, but Seaman doesn't think he will nail down a spot in the Three Lions set-up unless he starts playing week in, week out at club level again.
“If Dean Henderson wants any chance of becoming England keeper, then he needs to play more football," the ex-England shot-stopper, who won a total of 75 caps for his country, told The Target Men Podcast.
“If he becomes Manchester United’s number one, then he’s a real threat to Jordan Pickford and I think he’ll probably leapfrog Nick Pope. He’s got the experience from his time at Sheffield [United].
"So, he’s got all the experience he needs, he just needs playing time, so if it’s not at Man United, then I think he really needs to go somewhere else."
De Gea was rested for United's 3-1 win at West Ham on Saturday, and Henderson made some crucial saves to keep Solskjaer's men in the game after they went 1-0 down, having been handed his first-ever start for the club in the top-flight.
He was, however, dropped for the 3-2 loss at RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and De Gea will likely get the nod again when the Red Devils play host to Manchester City in a crucial derby clash on Saturday.