Jobi McAnuff has lauded the ‘fantastic’ Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson who has become a bit of a ‘forgotten man’ for England, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (13/11/21 at 2:35 pm).
The former forward praised Henderson for his recent England display and how the Liverpool captain will be saying ‘you can’t leave me out now’ to Gareth Southgate.
England thrashed Albania 5-0 in their World Cup qualifier on Friday night, with Henderson assisting and scoring during the game.
He played alongside Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips in a two-man midfield, with Declan Rice absent through injury.
In truth, if the in-form West Ham player was available then he probably wouldn’t have started.
That was something McAnuff touched upon, as he praised Henderson for getting on with the job and not making a fuss about it.
“Jordan Henderson is funnily enough almost the forgotten man for England,” said McAnuff.
“He seemed to be an absolute stone-waller in that position for many years. Of course, the rise of Rice and Phillips has put pay to that.
“But fantastic assist (for Kane header). He was heavily involved in the night. He always showed for the ball and demanded it. He gives England that drive from that position.
“I thought he was fantastic (against Albania). I think Gareth Southgate doesn’t need too much reminding. He certainly put himself back in the picture – that’s a sign of a top player. A lot of players would have been sulking, not happy they weren’t playing as many games, but he comes in, bang and puts in a performance that ‘you can’t leave me out now’.”
It just goes to show the quality England have in those deeper midfield roles now when someone like Henderson and Jude Bellingham struggle for minutes.
In truth, those who are playing in front of the above duo – Phillips and Rice – deserve to do so and have now earned those spots.
At Euro 2020, they were two of the outstanding players, as they helped their country reach a major final for the first time in 1966.
It was heartbreaking in how it all ended, but that doesn’t hide what those two produced in what was the first major tournament of their careers.
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