Manchester United have been told that Sheffield United will set a deadline to secure a loan move for Dean Henderson.

The 22-year-old is expected to return to Bramall Lane this summer after a successful loan spell in Yorkshire last term, when he helped the Blades to promotion to the Premier League.

With two weeks to go Henderson remains at United, but he hasn't been part of the squad on the club's pre-season tour and with David de Gea set to sign a six-year contract to remain at Old Trafford the expectation is that the England Under-21 international will be allowed to leave the club on a temporary basis.

Sheffield United have been to keen to take Henderson back all summer, but the uncertainty over De Gea's future meant United wanted to keep him around the club in case he was required this season.

With the academy graduate determined to play rather than sit on the bench as back-up to the Spaniard, a return to Chris Wilder's side would make sense, giving Henderson his first taste of Premier League football.

But two weeks before the transfer window closes the loan move is still yet to go through and Wilder has warned that he can't keep waiting for a deal to happen and will have to move on to alternative targets at some point.

Show Player

"It's fair to say the club has been in negotiation with Manchester United and Dean," Wilder told the Sheffield Star.

"We can progress that but we can't wait forever. It's above me at the moment. Dean wants to come to us and we want him to play for us, to compete with Simon (Moore) and Marcus (Dewhurst) in the Premier League. It's out of my hands now."

Henderson played in all of Sheffield United's Championship fixtures last season, keeping more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the league.

He featured for England Under-21s in the European Championships this summer but has since returned to Carrington for discussions with his parent club.

With De Gea expected to sign his new deal when United return from Asia this weekend, it might be that Henderson's move is completed then, but Wilder is happy to set a deadline for it.

Show more

"We have to see where it ends up but there will be a time when we have to move on," he said. "We want the players in to integrate them into the group. I know people might say 'well, he's a goalkeeper, it's not important'. But it is.

"It's out of my hands now, from a football point of view, but everyone wants it to happen."