Carragher reveals why Henderson did not seem in Klopp video tribute
- Henderson has endured a torrid campaign since leaving Anfield last summer
- Early departure robbed midfielder of the chance to play in Klopp’s final season
- Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have a year left at Liverpool… will they stay for Arne Slot’s rebuild? – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off!
Jamie Carragher has shared that he feels for Jordan Henderson, as he reveals why the ex-Liverpool captain didn’t appear in Jurgen Klopp’s leaving video.
Carragher’s discussion of the midfielder comes after he was left out of Gareth Southgate‘s provisional England squad for the upcoming European Championships.
The 33-year-old was one of the national team manager’s stalwarts and an experienced voice in the dressing room, but has gradually fallen out of favour at St George’s Park over the last season.
Leaving Merseyside after 12 years, Henderson took up a controversial move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, amid widespread criticism over both the level of football he would be competing in and the country’s poor human rights record.
Unable to settle in the Kingdom, the Sunderland-born star booked a mid-season transfer to struggling Dutch giants Ajax, but after making just 12 appearances across all competitions in the second-half of the campaign, Henderson has fallen short of Southgate’s expectations for his 30-man squad.
Jurgen Klopp’s (right) long-time captain Jordan Henderson failed to appear in his video tribute
Under Klopp, Henderson oversaw a period of consistent success (pictured in July 2020)
Jamie Carragher shared on Wednesday that he felt some sympathy for former Reds captain
But beyond missing out on a major tournament with England this summer, Carragher expressed sympathy for how Henderson has been treated since leaving Liverpool, claiming that it has played a role in his not wanting to appear in a tribute video for his departing manager.
‘I spoke to Jordan (Henderson) weeks ago, on the text, and it was about putting something together for Jurgen Klopp, for Sky Sports,’ Jamie Carragher told his co-hosts on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘I could tell he wasn’t himself, and people have made a big deal about when they’ve watched it (the Klopp tribute video), saying “Well why isn’t Jordan Henderson on it?” – it was sort of through me, and I get the feeling he was just thinking, “I’m not speaking to the press”.
‘I don’t know what the performances have been like, the results, I know it’s not been a great season for Ajax, that’s why they brought him in initially in January.
I think there was an interview where a Dutch guy really put it on him, sort of said, “your performance was really (bad), or something”.
‘I could just feel, and I didn’t push him too much on the whole, “can we organise this interview” – I just – you know what, he’s had a lot of stick the last 12 months, and some people might think rightly with the move to Saudi and now Ajax.
‘I feel a little bit for Jordan Henderson, I don’t think he deserves it. I know him personally, there’s a lot of great footballers, Jordan’s a great footballer, but there’s less great footballers who are proper men, a proper lad. He’s a good lad, Jordan.’
Henderson has seen out a torrid season since leaving Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq over the summer
Henderson’s big-money move to the Saudi Pro League was widely pilloried by his supporters
Leaving ahead of Klopp’s last season at Anfield meant Henderson could not join him in his send-off
Carragher was referencing a tense interview Henderson gave after Ajax’s 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard in March.
The reporter asked if Henderson had had his ‘worst performance’ in a cagey exchange which ended with the England international telling the reporter he could ‘call it what you want’ when repeatedly grilled about the flaws in his game.
Henderson also came under fire for an interview he gave in the wake of his Saudi move last year for his comments that he had moved to the country to ‘grow the game’.
The interview resurfaced around the time of his move to Amsterdam mere months later.
Southgate flew to Holland to watch Henderson and included him in a number of squads ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, but the manager cited a persistent muscle injury as being a key factor in his decision to leave the player out.
‘He is a fantastic professional and it was a difficult call to make,’ Southgate told BBC Sport. ‘He’ll be a miss. He’s an exceptional individual and fantastic human being.
A persistent muscle issue has meant that Henderson has featured just 12 times for Ajax
Southgate said that the decision had to omit the squad veteran had been a challenging one
‘The determining factor is the injury he picked up in the last camp. He missed five weeks and he just hasn’t been able to get to the intensity (we need) in the games since then.’
Wednesday also saw Carragher underscore Henderson’s mistake in leaving Liverpool ahead of talismanic manager Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge.
Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara were two departing players honoured after the Reds’ final match of the season on Sunday alongside the German head coach, and the former Liverpool icon claimed that Henderson should have played his exit in a similar way.
‘I just want to say this about Jordan – I spoke to him when he made the move to Saudi. I spoke to him, gave him my idea and what I thought of it,’ Carragher continued.
‘But sometimes you live and die by your decisions. It’s a little bit like Michael Owen when he went to Real Madrid – you think something good is going to happen.
‘I’m looking at Anfield on Sunday, and it’s not just Jurgen Klopp leaving, it’s Thiago (Alcantara), (Joel) Matip, and they’re getting this big send-off.
Thiago Alcantara (centre) was among the departing players to have been given a hero’s exit
Joel Matip – along with Thiago and Klopp, and his staff – received a commemorative plaque
He’s the guy that’s lifted all the trophies for Liverpool, he’s almost just a little bit forgotten now – he made a bad decision going there (to Al-Ettifaq). I’m not talking about the off the field stuff, I’m talking about the football, he should have stayed at Liverpool, he deserved a send-off.
‘You live and die by your decisions, and it blew up in his face.’
Ajax missing out on Champions League football could add further complications to Henderson’s career, with the club preparing to offload players in a bid to manage the financial hit.
Along with Steven Bergwijn, Henderson is one of the Eredivisie side’s highest earners.
