'He's a serial winner!' - Thomas Tuchel claims controversial Jordan Henderson pick was 'easy' despite huge backlash to first England squad

England boss Thomas Tuchel claims his controversial selection of Jordan Henderson was "easy", with the ex-Liverpool captain a "serial winner".

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WHAT HAPPENED?

Experienced midfielder Henderson, who is now playing his club football for Dutch giants Ajax at 34 years of age, has not represented his country since winning the last of his 81 caps in 2023. He was left out of Gareth Southgate’s plans for Euro 2024.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Tuchel has, however, recalled the Premier League title winner when naming his first squad. Many have questioned why the German tactician has called upon Henderson while having so many younger options at his disposal, but the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager stands by his decision.
WHAT THOMAS TUCHEL SAID

Tuchel has said of Henderson, who has "every chance" of gracing the 2026 World Cup: "Jordan is an easy one, he is a serial winner. He is captain of Ajax. He is available and has played a lot of matches. What he brings to every team is leadership, character, personality, energy.

"He makes sure that everyone lives by standards and with this characteristic he embodies everything that we try to build. We try to build a team for our fans and a team that they are proud of and can identity with. Jordan embodies everything that we want from this team."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Tuchel added on how he set about welcoming Henderson back into the England fold: "We had the phone call weeks ago to check in and see how he feels about the idea or whether it was too painful how it ended. It was a video call, so you can see reactions. He appreciated it. For me it was so nice to see his genuine reaction. You can see his pure joy and happiness at the decision. It was very, very, impressive."

WHAT HAPPENED?