JORDAN HENDERSON and Raheem Sterling have been left OUT of England’s provisional squad for Euro 2024.
The former Liverpool stars have been a staple of Gareth Southgate’s squads down the years.
Gareth Southgate has left Jordan Henderson out of his provisional Euro 2024 squad
ReutersThe midfielder has been a staple of Southgate’s squads down the years[/caption]
AFPBut the Three Lions boss has opted not to include him in his 30-plus provisional squad[/caption]
But Southgate has decided to leave the Ajax and Chelsea stars out of his 30-plus squad for this summer’s tournament.
That’s according to The Athletic and the Daily Mail, the latter of whom claim Southgate has made six shock inclusions in his provisional squad.
Curtis Jones, James Trafford, Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi and Dean Henderson are all said to be part of the squad.
The exclusion of Henderson from the provisional squad has come as a huge surprise.
The 33-year-old has been part of the squad for the three tournaments which have taken place during Southgate’s tenure.
He played in a further three tournaments under former Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson.
It’s unclear if the snub from the Euro 2024 squad will mark the end of Henderson’s international career.
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The end of the road for Hendo
By Jordan Davies
JORDAN HENDERSON waved goodbye to his England career the minute he stepped off the plane in Saudi Arabia after deciding to leave Liverpool.
The 33-year-old risked it all and ultimately, it has massively backfired, with his Three Lions legacy in tatters after failing to make the cut for Gareth Southgate’s Euros squad.
Henderson will never admit it, but the mega-bucks deal on offer from Saudi’s Al-Ettifaq was too good to turn down after being told by Jurgen Klopp he was surplus to requirements.
He had the chance to remain in England at another Premier League side and fight for his international future, but in the end he was blinded by money.
And having insisted he moved to Saudi to change perceptions and boost their global footballing presence, he embarrassingly left six months later with his tail between his legs to Ajax.
Those six months have not been kind to Henderson – he looks a shell of the player he once was, failing to have an impact on the Dutch giants in 12 outings in all competitions so far.
His reputation could not be lower, booed by England fans and LGBTQ supporters at Wembley last October during a friendly against Australia.
The chance to redeem himself for his country appears to have slipped away for good, and you cannot blame Southgate for finally cutting loose one of his trusted stars of past tournaments.
England may be short in midfield, but Henderson cannot and will not be trusted at the elite level anymore.
It could very well be that Southgate deems that he’s not played enough first-team football to warrant a place in the squad.
He made 12 appearances in all competitions for Ajax last season.
But he was out for almost six weeks due to injury, although he did return for the Dutch giants’ final three matches of the season.
News of Henderson’s omission spread like wildfire on social media, with one England fan saying: “Finally.”
Another said: “Eras come to an end. A new begins.”
And another said: “It’s about time.”
One remarked: “Is Southgate realising things now finally?”
Another chimed in: “Unexpected but the correct choice given the year he’s had.”
Henderson’s loss of a place in the squad could be the gain of 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who flourished in his debut season with Manchester United.
Southgate handed the teen his first caps in England’s recent matches against Brazil and Belgium and was blown away by his displays.
He said: “He seems very calm. You can see he is taking everything in
“Talking to him tactically, he seems able to take all those concepts on.
A lot of young players now, with their academy education, are able to do that. You can see his comfort with the ball and receiving in tight areas.”
“There are a lot of steps being taken in a very short period of time, but you saw in the brief cameo the other day [against Brazil] some of the qualities he has.
Sometimes, with the really young ones, they are not even thinking about that.”
Henderson started the 2023/24 season in Saudi Arabia with Al Ettifaq with former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard.
Jordan Henderson’s career stats
Club stats:
Clubs – Sunderland, Coventry City (Loan), Liverpool, Al-Ettifaq and Ajax
Games – 615
Goals – 39
Assists – 80
Honours – Premier League x1, FA Cup x1, EFL Cup x2, Community Shield x1, Champions League x1, Uefa Super Cup x1, Fifa Club World Cup x1
International stats:
Caps – 81
Goals – 3
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