Jordan Henderson wanted to be part of it. He felt he deserved to be part of it. And so, despite the obstacles, he put in the hard yards to make it happen. It has been a theme of the Ajax midfielder’s career and it resonates once again with him back in the England squad, winning his 81st cap as a substitute in Thomas Tuchel’s first game as head coach – the 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania on Friday night. The more sideways take on it came last summer.
Henderson was devastated to have been overlooked by Gareth Southgate for Euro 2024 in Germany, having been involved throughout qualification. The determining factor was the muscle injury he picked up last March, which sidelined him for the best part of two months and did not give him the time to get fully fit at the end of the domestic season. That was how Southgate sold it, anyway.
