EXCLUSIVE: Canadian international Doneil Henry trains with Toronto FC

Could a homecoming be on the table for Doneil Henry? The Canadian international was spotted training with Toronto FC on Thursday at the BMO Training Grounds.

A club spokesperson addressed the matter Thursday evening, stating that: "[Henry] is in Toronto, and he was looking to train. He was welcomed to train with TFC. There's nothing more than that."

However, speaking to media on Friday, head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley said that Henry was one of a few possibilities that the team is looking into potentially signing to help improve their defence.

“We’ll see," said Bradley. "When I talk about things that are being considered, that’s on the list. So, just getting to know him, sizing up his situation, seeing what else is out there. We were all aware of the way his situation ended at LAFC, and then as we looked into different things, when I mentioned just checking on options and different level options and stuff like that, it’s been good to get him in with us the last two days and we’ll see where some of those discussions go.”

The 29-year-old center-back has been a free agent since being waived by Los Angeles FC earlier this month. He made just five league games (two starts) for the Supporters’ Shield leaders after signing with the Black & Gold prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Henry is a former Red having joined Toronto FC’s academy in 2008, captaining the team through two seasons in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, he became the first TFC Academy player to sign with the first team as he went on to appear in 93 games for the Reds before being sold in 2014–15 to UEFA Europa League and Cypriot First Division participants Apollon Limassol.

Since then, the well-travelled Henry has gone on to play for Premier League side West Ham United, Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and others.

During Canada’s most recent run in the Concacaf Octagonal stage where they topped the region and qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986, Henry made five appearances for Les Rouges and remains in contention for a spot on John Herdman’s Qatar 2022 roster. In total, he has earned 44 caps for the Canadian men’s national team since debuting in 2012.

Following the departure of DP centre-back Carlos Salcedo, Toronto FC are thin at the back and in need of defensive reinforcements – something Team President Bill Manning touched on while speaking to media on Monday, hinting at the possibility of bringing in a defender in an effort to shore up the back line.

“We do have some room to potentially make another acquisition,” said Manning. “Defense the last two seasons has been really challenging. You let up two goals a game, you’re not going to win a lot of games … we are looking to potentially have another acquisition there that’s going to help our defense.”

As it stands, Toronto have three natural centre-backs on the first team roster: Chris Mavinga (who trained on his own Thursday as he rehabs from a lower-body injury), Shane O’Neill, and Lukas MacNaughton (who has 890 MLS minutes under his belt).

Domenico Criscito, meanwhile, is also very much capable of playing as a centre-back though the team’s preference appears to be to utilize the former Italian international as a left-back.

While it doesn't seem likely – with the defender being linked to a move to Turkey – signing Henry would be a low-risk, modest-reward type of move for both parties. The Brampton, Ontario native needs consistent minutes ahead of the World Cup later this year, while for Toronto, adding another experienced defender will help at the back.

_{(Top photo via Canada Soccer / Flickr)}