Gareth Southgate will travel to Saudi Arabia to watch Al-Ettifaq midfielder Jordan Henderson in action in the Saudi Pro League.
The current England manager Gareth Southgate has received some harsh criticism for his decision to include the Al-Ettifaq midfielder in his latest squad for the upcoming friendly games.
The England manager will travel to watch the former midfielder, who is in his squad for the upcoming games against Australia and Italy.
According to the report from the Daily Mail, Southgate is acutely aware that the Saudi Pro League doesn’t offer the same quality as the leading European leagues do.
Henderson joined the Saudi side at the request of Steven Gerrard, who was keen to reunite with the former Sunderland midfielder and the former Liverpool captain has also reunited with Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
Southgate on Henderson decision
The England manager decided to include the midfielder in the squad for the friendly games but has come under fire for selecting Henderson due to the perceived lack of quality in the division.
“His physical data is fine. The games are not at the same intensity as the games here. The heat is part of that.,” Southgate said when asked about the midfielder’s involvement.
“There are two or three drinks breaks per game, which is an indication of the climate, and that is having an impact on how teams play. It is a situation that we are tracking closely. I will go out and watch games.”
The perceived weakness of the league itself is certainly very harsh and the influx of quality in the division has meant that Henderson is still playing to a high standard in the Middle East.