Dean Henderson has described his treatment by Manchester United last season as “criminal”.
The England international, 25, joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal after failing to replace David de Gea at Old Trafford.
Henderson says he was lied to by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who told him he was his first-choice goalkeeper after the Euros in the summer of 2021.
He told Talksport: “To be honest, it has probably been the toughest 12 months of my career.
“It was frustrating, because I turned down so many good loans last summer for that reason, and they would not let me go.”
He added: “The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was: ‘You’re coming back here to be the number one.’
“I got Covid-19, came back, so I should have still been the number one but then nobody followed through with what they had told me.
“To sit there for 12 months, it is criminal really, at my age. I was fuming. I told the hierarchy that I need to be playing football and to let me go, and I was almost gone before the manager [Erik ten Hag] came through the door. I have not spoken to him since.
“I worked hard on and off the pitch to keep improving day in, day out, and now I am looking forward to the season with Nottingham Forest.”
