MOSCOW, July 10:
Maligned for years as a player who does not deserve a place at the top of the game, Jordan Henderson has come to personify an under-rated England side who have confounded expectations by reaching the World Cup semi-finals. The 28-year-old Liverpool holding midfielder has really come into his own in Russia as Gareth Southgate’s youthful side have taken England to the World Cup’s last four for the first time since 1990. Having shaken off a hamstring problem he aggravated against Sweden in the quarter-finals, Henderson will be one of the first names on Southgate’s team sheet on Wednesday when England take on Croatia for a place in the final. If anyone doubted that, they only had to listen to the words of the manager in his news conference on Tuesday. “Jordan’s a player who’s been under-estimated for a long time,” Southgate said, with Henderson sitting beside him. “He’s an outstanding person, he has outstanding leadership qualities … He’s playing at the top of his game. “He’s not only a huge part of the team but of what we’re building as part of the team in terms of his leadership. We’re very fortunate to have him.
“That Henderson is more attack-minded than the other holding midfielder in the squad, Eric Dier, has enabled him to fit perfectly into the pattern of play England have developed in Russia. He brings steel to a midfield rich in skill and pace but small in stature – a midfield that might otherwise get blown away by more physical opponents. Protecting the back three remains his number one priority but, as Southgate pointed out, Henderson has developed other strengths. (PTI)
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