Jordan Pickford defends Thomas Tuchel's England squad pick of 'big leader' Jordan Henderson for World Cup qualifiers
Updated 19/03/2025 at 10:23 GMT
Jordan Pickford labelled Thomas Tuchel’s decision to reintegrate Jordan Henderson into the England squad as "a great move". The 34-year-old had not featured in a squad since November 2023, months after completing a high-profile and controversial transfer from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq. Henderson, now of Ajax, won the first of his 81 caps under Fabio Capello back in 2010.
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Video credit: SNTV
Jordan Pickford has defended Jordan Henderson’s England selection, labelling Thomas Tuchel’s decision to reintegrate the 34-year-old as "a great move".
Henderson was selected in his first England squad since November 2023, ahead of FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
The Ajax skipper won the first of his 81 Three Lions caps under Fabio Capello back in 2010 and was part of England sides that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, the 2020 UEFA European Championship final and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, Henderson fell out of England contention under Gareth Southgate after making a high-profile and controversial transfer from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq in the summer of 2023. Six months later, he left the Saudi Pro League to join Ajax.
England No.1 Pickford said: "His desire to want to win and what he has won and achieved is driven by himself. He's a winner and a big leader. I think bringing Hendo back in is great for the squad.
"He was vice-captain for numerous years. He didn't come to the last Euros, but he was vice-captain in 2018 to Harry [Kane].
"I think someone like Hendo, it's great. Having leaders in your group, the teams that have won have always had that experience in the side as well.
"I think it's a great move for us to have someone like him in the squad. What he has done, how he is still driven - whether he plays or not he is going to be the leader on the training pitch."
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Pickford added it was hard to know if England would have beaten Spain in last year’s Euro final had Henderson been involved.
"We got to a final and didn't win it," Pickford said. "Jords is a great lad and respected by all the players and the staff.
"I don't think we will ever know if he was a miss as we got to the final. This manager has brought Hendo in, and I know how much of a leader he is, and how respected he is, so I think it's only a good thing."
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Pickford continued: "We've been knocking on the door for a while now. We've been to two finals, a semi-final and a quarter-final.
"It's about that next step now. We know what it takes to get there. It's about what it takes to lift the trophy, and that is what the manager has come in to do.
"We have got Dan Burn's first call-up, which is a great achievement for him. We have got Hendo with how many caps he has got. He has got that winning mentality, what he won at Liverpool as a player and a captain.
"To have those leaders around the place, the more leaders you have in the team, I think the more success they will bring.
"They will drive training standards, they will drive standards around the place and make it a better camp for everybody."
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