Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson is perhaps our most controversial pick for England’s Euro 2024 squad. It is a common sentiment that in order to be called up for international duty, you must be playing regular first team football in one of Europe’s top five leagues. Because of this, we thought Henderson’s time playing international football was over when he moved from Liverpool to the Saudi Pro League in the summer of 2023. There are many possible reasons Henderson decided to make this move, with the most obvious one being the inflated salaries being handed out like candy. However, Henderson quickly became disillusioned with the Saudi league and moved to the dutch team Ajax. This move was enough to secure his spot in the England squad, as he has made 6 appearances during the tournament qualifiers. We do not agree with Southgate’s choice to keep Henderson in the squad, and we think the spot should go to a younger player who has more to offer on the pitch. He may have had a very successful career at Liverpool and been an integral part of England’s squad for many years, but we think his choice of money over playing in a competitive league means he should forfeit his place on the team. We do acknowledge that convincing arguments can be made for why he should be traveling to Germany in the summer. He has valuable experience playing in major international tournaments, and his strong leadership presence will make him a positive presence in the dressing room. We do not think he has the legs to play a full game, but he could be a solid substitute to help England close out a game.