Jordan Henderson was a surprise name in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, and the head coach praised the former Liverpool captain as a “serial winner.”
Having not been involved with the Three Lions in a year, including being left out of Euro 2024, Henderson is back in the setup for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.
It comes after Tuchel named his first squad as head coach on Friday, with 26 players called up for clashes with Albania and Latvia.
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Henderson’s involvement is by far the most controversial decision Tuchel has made so far, particularly as in-form midfielders Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton were left out.
But speaking in a press conference on Friday, the German explained the midfielder’s recall and a first-ever call-up for Dan Burn as an effort to “build a brotherhood.”
“I truly believe that Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson have every chance to be with us at the World Cup,” Tuchel said.
“Football in general and maybe even more international football is about team spirit, it is about building a team that loves to play with each other, that transports the spirit to the fans, the nation and the country.
“It is about building a brotherhood so we cannot only do it with young players and we cannot only do with experienced players.
“It has to be a good balance and a good mix in my opinion and that’s what we’re trying to do.
“Without doubt, players like Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson bring something to a group from leadership and devotion and being humble and from setting the standards and taking care about the respect in the group.”
Henderson has endured a rocky spell since leaving Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq in 2023, with a swift exit from Saudi Arabia in January of last year as he joined Ajax.
Despite speculation over a move to Monaco at the end of the winter transfer window, the 34-year-old has stayed in Amsterdam for the remainder of the season, with Tuchel praising his form for the club.
“The way he plays now and imposes himself at Ajax is just so impressive and he builds it on character, on personality, on energy that he brings to the team,” he said in a prerecorded interview with The FA.
During his press conference, per BBC Sport, he added: “Jordan is a serial winner.
“He’s captain of Ajax. What he brings to every team is leadership, character, energy and personality.
“He makes sure everyone lives by the standards. He embodies everything we try to build. We want to build a team our fans are proud of.”
