Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has now broken his silence on his controversial move to Saudi Arabia.
The midfielder became the first high-profile English player to make the move to Saudi Arabia when he joined Al Ettifaq last month after accepting a deal said to be worth a handsome £700 000 (R16.8 million) a week, according to various reports.
The move sparked controversy in some quarters, however, as some fans and English activist groups felt it was hypocritical of the midfielder to play in a country marred with allegations of human rights violations, especially as he had been an outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ community.
Henderson has now broken his silence on his latest career move, explaining that Liverpool legend and new Ettifaq boss Steven Gerrard was his main reason for opting to leave Anfield for the Saudi Pro League.
"Stevie was a big reason, obviously, why I came. To work with him and play under him," he told BeanymanSports.
With Henderson's new side set to take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in the weekend's 2023/24 league opener, he will face his former Reds teammate Sadio Mane in the tie, but he believes his team will be prepared for the match.
"We need to be ready in the first week or so for the first game, but I'm sure we will be. We've had some good training sessions," he added.
"So hopefully we can keep moving things in the right direction and definitely work together to try to make the team better and more successful."
Asked about his England national team future now that he's no longer playing in Europe, the 33-year-old also revealed that he discussed the topic with Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate.
"I'm focused on playing for Ettifaq and playing my best. If I'm doing that, then there's no reason why I can't play for England, as the gaffer said," the midfielder continued.
"Obviously, we spoke over the last few weeks about it because playing for England means a lot to me and I feel as though I can still bring a lot to the team as I have in the last few games in the World Cup.
Read: Gerrard: Why I don't want Salah to join Saudi Pro League
"So I still feel as though I can bring a lot. But at the same time I've got to do my job here and if I can do that, then hopefully I can make the team as normal."
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