Jordan Henderson Still Not Fit to Play for England

It’s been a bit of a rush job for Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson to get fit in time for Euro 2020.

After injuring himself midseason, the midfielder was initially a doubt to feature in the tournament but made the squad and now faces a battle to get into the team. There’s no doubt England value his presence enough to take him anyway, but Gareth Southgate seems unwilling to risk his current level of fitness.

“Jordan Henderson, who gained some minutes against Romania, is not yet deemed fit to start”, report David Ornstein and Adam Crafton. This is about as well sourced as you can get, so we can take it as almost certainly the truth.

It does raise questions about whether going to the tournament is in Henderson and Liverpool’s best interests. His value both on and off the pitch is clear, while Henderson himself clearly wants to play for England and fought hard to make it into the squad. But is he really fit to do so?

Henderson is 30 years old now. No one can doubt his professionalism and determination to perform. But one does wonder if he’s risking his long term fitness to play right now. I hope I’m wrong and he’s absolutely fine next season, but I’d feel better about it if he were resting up at home.