England boss Gareth Southgate has backed skipper Jordan Henderson after several boos from fans after his return to Wembley.
Gareth Southgate decided to pick the Al-Ettifaq player as his captain as England beat Australia 1-0 in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium.
Henderson, who earns £700,000-a-week in Saudi Arabia, was a target for fans after his name was read out before, during, and when he was subbed off in the match.
Recall we reported that Henderson received several criticisms for exiting Liverpool and joining the Saudi Pro League side.
Gareth Southgate is not concerned with what fans say as he also played the midfielder away to Ukraine last month and benched him against Scotland, with the Three Lions fans jeering him.
In Henderson’s defense, Gareth Southgate said: “I really don’t understand it – he is a player, I think it is 79 caps now for England.”
“His commitment and what he has done for England is exceptional. His role on and off the pitch is phenomenally important.”
“So yeah some people decided to boo but I really don’t understand what that is for.”
“We have players in England shirts. Come on, we play Italy here on Tuesday. Let’s get behind this team.”
“I know we weren’t at our best tonight but that is due to a lot of changes made and gave the players out there a really difficult task.”
These reasons include: Henderson is arguably still a top player, also, Southgate believes players should make their own decisions and of course, the coach still sees the usefulness of the player.
When Southgate was asked about backing Saudi’s 2034 World Cup bid last week, the English tactician said: “What has that got to do with supporting a guy wearing an England shirt?”
“I don’t really know where we’re heading with everything.”
He added, “I’m hugely impressed with the impeccable values and decisions that everybody in our country is making then. I don’t understand it.”
“I know what has created it and why it has happened but it defies logic to me that you would give a player who is putting his heart and soul into playing for England. How is that going to help him or the team?”
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate OBE is an English football manager and former player who was born on 3rd September, 1970 and played as a defender and midfielder.
The Englishman has been the manager of the England national team since 2016.
Southgate was manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006 until October 2009 and also managed the England under-21 team from 2013 to 2016.
He became the England national team manager in 2016, succeeding Sam Allardyce – who resigned because of a scandal.
Gareth Southgate became the third manager (after Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson) to reach a World Cup semi-final with the England national team.
That feat saw Gareth Southgate, the former Middlesbrough manager to bag the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award in the same year.
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Brian Henderson MBE is an English footballer who was born on 17 June, 1990 and plays as a midfielder for Al-Ettifaq and the England national team.
Henderson is known globally for his leadership, versatility, and physicality.
At the international level, Henderson has made over 75 appearances for the Three Lions since his debut in 2010.
He featured at six international tournaments with England, the 2012, 2016, and 2020 UEFA European Championships and the 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
The former Liverpool midfielder was the first player to win the England Player of the Year award at both the U-21 and senior levels.
