Jordan Henderson has been left out of England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad.
Gareth Southgate will name an initial selection on Tuesday before reducing it to a maximum of 26 players prior to this summer’s tournament in Germany, and the Ajax midfielder has not been included.
Among those expected to make the expanded list are Curtis Jones — in what would be a first senior call-up for the Liverpool midfielder — and Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford.
Henderson, capped 81 times at senior level, has been a regular member of the England squad during Southgate’s tenure and has been present at the last six major tournaments.
The 33-year-old left Liverpool last summer to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq, but he exited the club in January to move to Ajax. He made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Dutch club, missing more than a month between March and April due to injury. Henderson returned for the final three Eredivisie matches of the season.
Henderson continued to be selected by Southgate following his move to Saudi, with the England manager saying last August there was no footballing reason to exclude him from the squad.
Henderson left Al Ettifaq in January (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Speaking exclusively to The Athletic in September, Henderson cited his anticipated reduced playing time at Liverpool and the impact this could have on his England selection chances ahead of Euro 2024 as a contributing factor in his Al Ettifaq switch.
“If I’m not playing, that can be quite difficult for me,” Henderson said. “Especially when England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up. And then there was an approach from Al Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there.”
He has featured four times for England this season and captained the side in Harry Kane’s absence against Australia in October’s friendly.
Henderson was booed by some England fans during the Australia fixture in what was his first appearance at Wembley since moving to Saudi. Southgate said he “really didn’t understand” the reception Henderson received.
Henderson’s Saudi move attracted criticism given his previous allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia, and Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ fans group said it was “appalled and concerned” when reports emerged over Henderson’s Saudi move.
“I can’t promise anything, but what I can do is sit here and say I have my values and beliefs,” Henderson told The Athletic. “And I strongly believe that me playing in Saudi Arabia is a positive thing.”
Henderson insisted his move was for footballing reasons and not only a lucrative salary, telling The Athletic he wanted to “achieve something special and build a club and build the league”. However, his stay only lasted six months.
Henderson was a member of Southgate’s England squads at the 2018 and 2022 World Cup and at Euro 2020, and was also selected for Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and the 2014 World Cup.
Kobbie Mainoo, Conor Gallagher and Declan Rice featured in central midfield for England during March’s international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, while Jude Bellingham has established himself as a mainstay in Southgate’s starting lineup over the past two seasons.
In the build up to Euro 2024, Southgate’s side play friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 3 at Newcastle’s St James’ Park and against Iceland on June 7 at Wembley.
Their 26-man squad for Euro 2024 will be confirmed following the Iceland friendly.
Outfield players can still be added to the squad ahead of the first game if injury or illness is sufficiently serious enough to prevent another squad member from participating at the tournament.
England begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16.
How to follow Euro 2024 on The Athletic…
‘Henderson has been left behind this season’
Analysis from The Athletic’s Oliver Kay
This is a huge call from Gareth Southgate — and a surprising one because until now he appeared steadfast in his loyalty to Jordan Henderson.
But it also looks like the right call. Henderson has had a miserable season at club level, with that disastrous move to Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq followed by a difficult spell at Ajax, where he has also been troubled by injury, coinciding with the emergence of more young talent for Southgate to pick from.
The move to Ajax was motivated by a desire to prove he is still capable of performing at a high level in European football, but Southgate clearly feels it hasn’t worked. His lack of elite-level football this season, following his much-criticised decision to move to the Saudi Pro League, has undoubtedly damaged his prospects. He recently returned from a seven-week lay-off, but whereas Southgate was prepared to gamble on Henderson when less than fully fit at Euro 2020, he was not willing to make any such compromise this time.
Southgate will miss Henderson’s experience and leadership off the pitch. But in terms of on-pitch selection, he has been left behind this season.
That was always a risk for a player who will turn 34 during the tournament, but it is also undeniable that Henderson put his England place in jeopardy the moment he left the Premier League for a money-spinning move to a middling club in the Saudi Pro League. Not for the first time since last summer, he has cause to look back on that move with huge regret.
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Read the full article here