Jordan Henderson rejects ‘cheerleader’ criticism as new England chapter calls

<p>Veteran struggled with Liverpool ‘break-up’ but leadership skills and Brentford form justify his recall</p><p>With Jordan Henderson, it is always tempting to focus on the rebound relationship, what he did after his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/19/liverpool-jordan-henderson-al-ettifaq-12m-saudi-arabia">departure from Liverpool</a> in the summer of 2023. Because goodness knows, if the move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia seemed like a bad idea, the reality was even worse.</p><p>Henderson’s reputation was trashed after he was accused of putting financial gain before his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/sep/05/jordan-henderson-saudi-pro-league-lgbtq-rights">support of LGBTQ+ rights</a>. He was booed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/oct/15/i-dont-know-why-i-was-booed-but-i-do-understand-fans-view-says-henderson">on England duty</a> by the Wembley crowd. Even after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/19/ive-never-tried-to-hurt-anybody-no-regrets-for-jordan-henderson-on-ajax-arrival">jumping back to Ajax</a> in January 2024, it felt as if the collateral damage continued. Henderson, who is now at Brentford, was overlooked by Gareth Southgate for his Euro 2024 squad, having been involved throughout qualification. It was the beginning of a long international exile.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/oct/07/jordan-henderson-england-world-cup-qualifers-brentford">Continue reading...</a>