Leeds United star, Kalvin Phillips, told Sky Sports that he loves having Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson around the England camp.
The Liverpool midfielder was criticised by Roy Keane for being picked in England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020 because of his lack of game time.
Henderson returned from injury for Liverpool towards the back end of the campaign and only recently played his first set of 45 minutes after a number of months.
But whether Henderson has the fitness levels or not, Phillips made it clear that he, and other inexperienced stars, are benefited by his presence in the squad.
“When people saying ‘he’s not fit’ and ‘why is he there’,” said Phillips. “I just think he’s a good person to have around, especially for a lot of young lads who are here.
“There are a lot of lads who are here for their first tournament as well. And it’s good to have somebody who can share their experiences with you.
“In Jordan’s case, whether he’s fit or not, I love having him here. I love speaking to him. I love having him around the place because he just makes it a lot more comfortable for players like me.”
The problem facing Gareth Southgate is that Henderson isn’t the only unfit player in the camp – Harry Maguire is perhaps in a more troublesome situation.
And it’s not like the Three Lions boss didn’t have options to choose from, the likes of Ben Godfrey and James Ward-Prowse, to name a few, were unlucky to miss out.
But this call from Southgate is a bold one, and it’s either going to work a treat or come to hit him in the face in a few weeks time.
Either way, at least Henderson has minutes under his belt and back on the training field, the same cannot be said for Maguire.
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