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| Jordan Henderson of England reacts during a training session at Al Wakrah Stadium on December 09, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. |
Steven Gerrard has praised his former Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson for his performances at the World Cup – claiming he has ‘shut up’ his critics.
Gareth Southgate’s selection of Henderson over Mason Mount against Wales and latterly Senegal was criticised by some, with supporters questioning the Liverpool captain’s place in the side.
It led to Jude Bellingham, one of Henderson’s fellow midfield starters, to take aim at his critics – claiming the criticism of the former Sunderland man was ‘ridiculous’.
Gerrard has seemingly backed up the claims of Bellingham, saying Henderson, who succeeded him as Liverpool captain, has ‘shut up’ those who ‘point fingers at him’.
‘Obviously being an England fan I’m following England and Jordan from a personal point of view. I think he’s been immaculate, both on and off the pitch,’ Gerrard told Liverpool’s website.
‘His last performance he was obviously Man of the Match, very well deserved, and he shut a few critics up that for some reason seem to point fingers at Jordan.
‘Being a midfielder, being around Jordan on the daily basis, to see the sacrifices, his dedication and what he puts into his own preparation, the hard work that he puts in, I’m not surprised that he’s putting in this level of performance and I’m delighted for him.
‘But it seems as if a lot of people outside the LFC family don’t need an invite to point a finger towards him so I’m delighted that he has shut a few up.’
Henderson scored his first World Cup goal as England dispatched Senegal 3-0 in the last-16 to set up a quarter-final date with France.
Asked what attributes Henderson brought to Southgate’s team, Gerrard pointed to his experience. Henderson is playing in his sixth major tournament – while his midfield partners Declan Rice and Bellingham are appearing in their second.
‘Experience would be the most important thing,’ Gerrard said.
‘I think England have got a lot of young, exciting talent, but you need experienced players that positionally give these younger players licence to go and cause a lot of damage.
‘I think Jordan, what he’s found in that performance is a typical Jordan Henderson performance where he is solid, his A to Bs are all really good, positionally he is bang on, but at the right time he joins in and gets himself forward.
‘He’s a really strong runner and his timing for the goal and his execution of the goal was world-class and it was the perfect all-round performance, so credit to him.’
Gerrard went on to hail Henderson’s conduct and how he is valued by managers and team-mates, notably Southgate.
‘I think the most important thing in football is to be valued by your manager, by your coaches and by your teammates. Would your teammates pick you?’ he said.
‘And everyone who speaks about Jordan speaks glowingly because he is very selfless.’
