October 16, (THEWILL) – England manager, Gareth Southgate, has confirmed he will continue selecting midfielder, Jordan Henderson, for the national team, despite the Liverpool captain being booed by fans during Friday’s 1-0 friendly victory over Australia at Wembley.
The midfielder’s second-half substitution was met with jeers from sections of the crowd, following Henderson’s controversial summer transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq. His move to the Saudi Pro League has faced criticism from the LGBTQ+ community due to the nation’s poor human rights record, despite Henderson previously being a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy, Southgate stated: “I’ll always pick the players that I think are the best players to represent the team, that give us the best chance of winning, unless there’s something that I feel is not appropriate.”
The manager defended his decision to keep selecting Henderson, saying: “In this instance, people may disagree with Jordan’s stance or decision, given the stance he’s taken in the past to support the LGBT community, but I don’t think that’s a reason to not select him.”
Southgate also drew comparisons with under-fire defender Harry Maguire, who was booed after an own goal against Scotland earlier this year. The England boss emphasised the importance of team spirit and stood by Henderson’s quality and experience in big matches. He reiterated: “I am also going to defend our players, our team, because we need that strength.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
