Danny Murphy told talkSPORT that he can understand where Roy Keane is coming from after his scathing comments about Liverpool midfielder, Jordan Henderson.
The Old Trafford legend suggested over the weekend that the Liverpool man shouldn’t be part of England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020 because he’s not fit enough to compete.
Henderson played 45 minutes for England on Sunday, as they beat Romania 1-0 in an international friendly, with their Euro 2020 opener set to kick off against Croatia at the end of the week.
Ex-Reds man, Murphy, shared that he’s been told that Henderson looks ‘more than fine in training’ after Keane’s comments.
“He’s (Keane) having a pop at Southgate really,” said Murphy. “He’s saying ‘if you are going to include him then that was the perfect opportunity to give him minutes. More than 45’, so I understood where he was coming from.
“What he’s forgetting about Henderson is that he’s the most athletic and probably the fittest player in the league, bar none. If you are going to take a risk on anybody, in terms of their ability to hit the ground running.
“But I understand Keane’s point – Keane may have a point, he might not be ready for (Croatia).
“From what I am hearing, and the people I have spoken to, he looks more than fine in training.”
The one individual who was perhaps unlucky to miss out on Gareth Southgate’s squad was James Ward-Prowse.
He had a fantastic campaign for Southampton this season, including showcasing his expert set-piece quality, which would have been vital for England.
It needs to be remembered that England have Jack Grealish in their ranks – the most fouled player in Europe – and as was shown during the past two games, it can be quite a deadly combination.
But this call to include, not just Henderson, but also Harry Maguire will either turn out to be a success or bite Southgate on the back.
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