Southgate won’t pick England side on “popularity contest” after Henderson jeers
England manager Gareth Southgate has insisted that a “popularity contest” will not influence his selections after Jordan Henderson was booed and jeered at Wembley on Friday.
The former Liverpool captain moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in the summer and was widely criticised for it by human rights and LGBTQ+ equality groups.
Henderson was a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights but has since been less vocal having moved to the Saudi Pro League.
But manager Southgate has said he will stick by the 33-year-old so long as he deserves his spot in the side.
“Yes, 100 per cent [I would select him],” Southgate said.
“I’ll always pick the players that I think are the best players to represent the team, that give us the best chance of winning, unless there’s something that I feel is not appropriate.
“In this instance, people may disagree with Jordan’s stance or decision given the stance he’s taken in the past to support the LGBT community.
“But I don’t think that’s a reason to not select him. I don’t actually think that’s a reason to boo him.”
England take on Italy tomorrow evening at Wembley Stadium knowing qualification for the European Championships is in sight.
It’ll be Wembley’s second sell-out crowd in five days after England beat Australia 1-0 at the national stadium on Friday.
“We would like all the fans behind us. We’re a stronger team if the supporters are with us and wholeheartedly supporting the team. That’s the connection we’ve had over a long period of time now.,” Southgate added.
“We’ll assess Jordan like every other player. But if I just select on a popularity contest, then our team would look very, very different.”