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Jordan Henderson embodies everything we are trying to build, says Thomas Touchel.


Thomas Tushel says that after Jordan Henderson named Ajax midfielder on his first England squad this morning, he “embodies everything we’re trying to build.”

Henderson hasn’t played for the three Lions since his appearance with Malta at Wembley in November 2023, and has become a polarizing figure after departing Liverpool for Al-Ettifak on the Saudi side at the beginning of the year.

He joined Ajax in January 2024 and failed to settle in the Middle East, making 38 appearances for the Amsterdammers this season.

Tuchel chose 34 years old ahead of Adam Wharton and Morgan Gibbs-White. He explained his reasoning by highlighting Henderson’s character.

He said: “Jordan is a consecutive winner. He is the captain of Ajax, available, played many games and played in Europe. What he brings to every team is leadership, personality and energy. He makes sure everyone lives by standard. He embodies everything we are trying to build. We are trying to build a team that our fans are proud of. Jordan is embodies everything we want from this team.”

Henderson and Byrne’s inclusions are not short-term thinking, but Chuchel

Including Newcastle’s Henderson and Dan Byrne associates in his 30s suggests Tohchel, who has a contract to take England to the World Cup next summer, but Germany claims that a well-balanced team will increase the likelihood of success.

“I really believe Dan Byrne and Jordan Henderson had a chance to be with us at the World Cup,” added Chuchel. “Sound in general, but perhaps even more international football is about the spirit of the team. It’s about building a team that loves to play with each other, transporting spirit to the fans, countries, countries. It’s about building brotherhood. You can’t do this only with young players or senior players. It has to be balanced.

“I was surprised that Dan was never called. He’s a very tall man, but obviously it’s easy to overlook him. It almost happened to me. From these two calls from Jordan Henderson and Dan Byrne, you can quickly find out that you’ve chosen the right person.”

Tuchel doesn’t want Rashford to go back to “old routines”

Marcus Rashford was recalled after an impressive start at Aston Villa following his January switch from Manchester United.

Rashford cuts a disillusioned figure at Old Trafford, but appears to have regained his mojo under Unai Emery.

Tuchel said: “Marcus is a familiar face, but it’s a different situation. I felt he had a big impact after going there to Aston Villa. He had a big impact, mainly from the bench. The impact was impressive.

“The physical impact was impressive, and most importantly, his workplace, his defensive ability, and his tracking ability was impressive. I felt strongly that I should nominate him, take him with me and push him to stay that level so that he doesn’t rely on old routines. This camp is about pushing him to stay at this level.”

Kane maintains the skipper

Tuchel confirmed that Harry Kane will remain as captain and that Arsenal defender Ben White will be available for selection again, but this time he has just returned from his injury.

White refused the opportunity to play for England under Gareth Southgate, but is now back at the end.

Tuchel said: “I think it’s a little too early given the seriousness of the injury. I’m happy he’s back, he’s back in training now. We were monitoring the process and big tributes in the FA’s medical and performance department.

“And thanks to everyone at Arsenal, we’re working on that. He’s now playing the Champions League game in the second leg and now I think it’s a matter of getting more rhythm for a few minutes. He’s hoping to come back, he’s happy he’s back.”

UK to go directly

England’s style of play is often criticized for being defensive under South Gate, with Deur and Touchel saying his team is trying to copy the best bits from the main aspects of the Premier League.

He states: “The Premier League is a very physical and tough league. I think we should be brave enough to play like an English team. We shouldn’t try to copy other countries or other styles. It just reflects the value of the nation with the most powerful leagues in the world.

“We’re going to implement a direct attack style. We’re going to increase the rhythm and intensity of the game. We’ll do this on our crash course on Monday and unlock the possibilities on Friday.”



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