Southgate makes Henderson decision as England star heads back to Saudi Arabia
Gareth Southgate is not planning to travel to Saudi Arabia to watch Jordan Henderson play for Al-Ettifaq in person before the next international break.
There had been uncertainty over whether or not Henderson's decision to quit Liverpool for the Saudi Pro League outfit would harm his prospects of playing for England, but the veteran midfielder, 33, played the full 90 minutes in the Three Lions' latest European qualifier, which they drew 1-1 against Ukraine at the weekend.
Henderson has been a prominent part of Southgate's plans in recent years and now seems likely to retain his place for next month's fixtures against Australia and Italy. However, Southgate has no plans to travel to the Middle East to run the rule over Henderson.
A new report from The Telegraph outlines that Southgate does not intend to make a personal check on the former Liverpool captain in the coming weeks, even though he admitted that he should do so last month.
When he was asked if he would watch Henderson play in Saudi Arabia, Southgate said: “At some point I think we should.” When it was then put to him that such a move could be seen as an endorsement of the Saudi Pro League, Southgate added: “I hadn’t thought about that. Who would actually decide whether that’s acceptable or not?
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“I can follow the games as we do on a television system. If I’m doing my job correctly then I should be visiting Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Saudi to see Hendo. If I’m advised that it’s not acceptable then I’d have to accept that.”
Join the debate! Do you think Henderson should still be picked for England? Let us know here.
Gareth Southgate has no plans to watch Jordan Henderson in person before the next international break (David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Henderson's decision to move to Saudi Arabia has been fiercely scrutinised given that homosexuality is illegal in the country and punishable by death.
Former England star Gary Lineker spoke out earlier this week and claimed that Henderson should not feature in Southgate's plans going forward due to the fact that he is already in "semi-retirement" after swapping the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast following the win over Ukraine, Lineker said: “I am a huge admirer of Jordan Henderson. He has been an unbelievable footballer. I did a similar thing, I moved abroad at the very end of my career to earn a few bob and get a different experience.
“I think then, that is semi-retirement, I don't think you should play international football. As soon as I made that decision, I withdrew from international football to take the problem away from the manager at the time.
“ I am not judging Jordan Henderson , that is up to him and there are huge superstars who have done the same. If you are Ronaldo or Messi, that is slightly different and you leave things up to them.
“Personally, I don't think a player - if they are going to make a move for a big pay day at the end of their career - I don't think they should still be playing for their country, unless there were extreme circumstances or we had a dearth of talent and we absolutely do not in the midfield area.”
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