Gareth Southgate has said he has never been swayed by “external reaction” when picking an England team and will not change tack despite Jordan Henderson facing a potential backlash from some fans for moving to Saudi Arabia.
The England midfielder moved from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12 million deal this summer and has come under scrutiny this week for apologising for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Henderson has been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and hoped his move to Saudi Arabia could help the rights movement. The 33-year-old is now set to feature in his first international match since the transfer when England face Ukraine in Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier.
Asked if the potential for a negative reaction towards Henderson impacts his thinking, Southgate said: “No, I don’t pick the team based on external reaction, as you’ll be well aware over the course of seven years. But he’s a very experienced professional. He is very mature at handling any situation, really.
“He’s trained really well this week, the whole group have. I’ve been really pleased with the approach to everything. Everybody is available, which is good for us.”
After Henderson was called up for these September internationals, England’s LGBTQ+ supporters group Three Lions Pride announced they would turn their back to the pitch if Henderson played for his country again — as that is what they feel he has done to them — something the former Liverpool captain said it hurt to hear.
“Well, I think Jordan expressed himself this week that he’d be sad if that’s how they felt,” Southgate added. “His feeling towards that community hasn’t changed. I understand some of the comments that have been, and I respect the comments that have been made.
“But I think what’s also been said is that they’re going to get behind the team when we play, and I am sure they’ll get behind Jordan when the game starts as well. I’m sure all of our fans are going to get behind the team when the game starts.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury means Henderson is a contender to start alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in the England midfield on Saturday, though Conor Gallagher, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze are also options.
Harry Maguire is set to start in central defence and, in the absence of the injured John Stones, could be partnered by Marc Guehi; the pair started together away to Malta in June.
'Wroclaw will provide passionate atmosphere'
A victory over Ukraine would all but seal England’s place at next summer’s European Championship but the England manager is expecting a “passionate and partisan” atmosphere in Wroclaw, Poland.
Wroclaw has a strong Ukrainian population after many citizens fled their country to the Polish city following the invasion of Russia at the start of 2022. In general, the number of Ukrainians living in Poland has trebled over the past 18 months, meaning this is currently the closest to experiencing a home game for the Ukraine national team.
“We know hundreds and thousands of Ukrainians are living here so we’re expecting a very passionate and partisan support for their team,” Southgate said. “We are used to playing that environment and are respectful of the occasion. Our job is to come and win a football game.
“I can’t talk on a broader perspective but football-wise it’s just a difficult game for us. It’s a team we respect a lot, some players that have played in England that some of the players know very, very well. We know that we have to be at our best to get the win that we want.”
