Jamie Carragher has shared his sympathy for Jordan Henderson as he reveals why the ex-Liverpool captain did not appear in Jurgen Klopp’s departure video.
Carragher’s discussion about the midfielder comes after he was left out of Gareth Southgate’s provisional England squad for the upcoming European Championship.
The 33-year-old was one of the national team’s stalwarts in the middle and an experienced voice in the dressing room, but has gradually fallen out of favor at St George’s Park over the past season.
Henderson left Merseyside after 12 years, making a controversial move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, amid widespread criticism of both the level of football he would compete in and the poor human rights record of the country.
The Sunderland-born star failed to establish himself in the Kingdom and booked a mid-season move to struggling Dutch giants Ajax, but after making just 12 appearances in all competitions in the second half of the season, Henderson is falling short of Southgate’s expectations for his 30-man squad.
Jurgen Klopp’s (right) long-time captain Jordan Henderson did not feature in his video tribute
Under Klopp, Henderson oversaw a period of consistent success (pictured in July 2020)
Jamie Carragher said on Wednesday he felt some sympathy for the former Reds captain
But as well as missing a major tournament with England this summer, Carragher expressed his sympathy for the way Henderson has been treated since leaving Liverpool. He claimed this played a role in him not wanting to appear in a tribute video for his departing manager.
“I spoke to Jordan (Henderson) about the lyrics weeks ago, 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 paid a lot of attention to it when they watched it (the Klopp tribute video), saying, “Why isn’t Jordan Henderson on it?” – it kind of came through me, and I feel like he was just thinking, “I don’t speak to the press.”
‘I don’t know what the performances were like, the results, I know it hasn’t been a great season for Ajax, that’s why they brought him in in January in the first place.
I think there was an interview where a Dutch guy really took it out on him and said “your performance was really (bad) or something like that”.
“I could just feel, and I didn’t put too much pressure on him overall, ‘Can we set up this interview?’ rightly with the switch to Saudi and now Ajax.
‘I feel a bit for Jordan Henderson, I don’t think he deserves it. I know him personally, there are many great footballers, Jordan is a great footballer, but there are less great footballers who are real men, a real boy. He’s a good boy, Jordan.’
Henderson has had a torrid season since leaving Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq last summer
Henderson’s costly move to the Saudi Pro League was widely pilloried by his supporters
The departure ahead of Klopp’s final season at Anfield meant Henderson could not go along with his farewell
Carragher was referring to a tense interview that 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 that ended with the England international telling the reporter he could ‘call it whatever you want’ as he was repeatedly grilled about the flaws in his game.
Henderson also came under fire during an interview he gave in the wake of his move to Saudi Arabia last year for his comments that he moved to the country to ‘grow the game’.
The interview resurfaced around the time he moved to Amsterdam, just a few months later.
Southgate flew to the Netherlands 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 a key factor in his decision to leave the player out.
“He is a fantastic professional and it was a difficult decision,” Southgate told BBC Sport. ‘He’ll be a miss. He is an exceptional individual and a fantastic human being.
Due to a persistent muscle problem, Henderson only made twelve appearances for Ajax
Southgate said the decision to leave out the squad veteran had been a challenge
‘The injury he sustained in the last camp is decisive. He missed five weeks and since then he just hasn’t been able to reach the intensity we need.”
On Wednesday, Carragher also underlined Henderson’s mistake in leaving Liverpool ahead of talismanic manager Jurgen Klopp’s final season.
Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara were two of the departing players honored on Sunday after the Reds’ final game of the season alongside the German head coach, and the former Liverpool icon claimed Henderson should have played his departure in a similar manner.
“I just want to say this about Jordan; I spoke to him when he made the move to Saudi Arabia. I spoke to him, gave him my idea and what I thought about it,” Carragher continued.
‘But sometimes you live and die by your decisions. It’s a bit like Michael Owen when he went to Real Madrid: you think something good is going to happen.
‘I look at Anfield on Sunday and it’s not just Jurgen Klopp who’s leaving, it’s Thiago (Alcantara) and (Joel) Matip, and they’re getting a big farewell.
Thiago Alcantara (center) was one of the departing players who received a hero’s exit
Joel Matip received – together with Thiago and Klopp and his staff – a memorial plaque
He is the man who has won all the trophies for Liverpool. He is almost a bit forgotten now. He made a bad decision to go there (to Al-Ettifaq). I’m not talking about things off the field, I’m talking about football. He should have stayed at Liverpool, he deserved a farewell.
“You live and die by your decisions, and it blew up in his face.”
Ajax missing out on Champions League football could further complicate Henderson’s career as the club prepares to offload players in a bid to cushion the financial blow.
Together with Steven Bergwijn, Henderson is one of the best earners in the Eredivisie.