Gareth Southgate advises England fans to back Jordan Henderson after the nation’s LGBTQ+ supporters shared plans to protest him being part of the national team after choosing to continue his career in Saudi Arabia.
Henderson ended a 12-season association with Liverpool to ink with Al Ettifaq as he will earn almost 1 million dollars weekly with his new club. However, the salary was subsequently disputed by Jordan himself.
🗣️ “I don’t pick the team based on external reaction!”
🏴 Gareth Southgate reacts to Jordan Henderson’s interview, and says he will still select the former Liverpool captain
📺 https://t.co/sN8uQrGtkq#england | #threelions pic.twitter.com/R0yJ9S5II9
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) September 8, 2023
The protest against him was triggered after Henderson gave an interview and claimed he didn’t sign with Al Ettifaq for money and still supports the LGBTQ+ community despite his move to Saudi Arabia.
The England head coach shared in his press conference ahead of the match in Wroclaw against Ukraine that he didn’t choose his players based on external reaction as he never did it in his 7 years at the team’s helm.
Southgate added that Henderson is professional and deserves the fans’ support.