Wally on 'keeper situation

First team coach Wally Downes has backed Stephen Henderson to fill West Ham's vacant goalkeeper spot - if not now, in the near future.

The Irish shot stopper initially moved to the Boleyn Ground last February on an emergency loan before signing a full-time contract in May.

And despite Jussi Jääskeläinen set to undergo a medical this week with view to replacing Rob Green, who is currently out of contract having failed to agree a new deal with West Ham, Downes insists that Henderson could be United's long-term answer to the goalkeeping spot.

"Henderson has been Rob’s understudy and he has been an excellent acquisition," Downes told Talksport."And we wouldn’t have had any qualms about putting him in if Rob would have got injured.

"If Rob does leave that would leave a position where he can go in as number one or we get someone in and Henderson can understudy again for a while.

"We’re quite relaxed about it, because if Rob stays we don’t have to do it. But if Rob goes we have got a goalkeeper who could go in and it wouldn’t be a big panic that we have to go out and get someone straight away."