Jordan Henderson insists he is ‘not bothered’ about silencing his critics after returning from injury in England’s 1-0 win over Romania.
The Liverpool captain, who had been sidelined with a groin problem since February, replaced Kalvin Phillips at half-time on Sunday.
AFP
Gareth Southgate has faced criticism for selecting Henderson due to the midfielder’s injury problems, with Roy Keane, Jamie O’Hara and Gabby Agbonlahor questioning his inclusion.
However, Henderson is adamant he is nearing full fitness.
He told talkSPORT: “I’m not really bothered about silencing critics. I don’t feel as though I need to do that.
“I know my importance to the team. If I didn’t feel I was right, I would say – I’ve spoken to Gareth.
“I’ve worked hard over the last few months to get to this point to be ready for this tournament.
“I felt really good for 45 minutes. We’ve got a lot of talented players, but I still feel as though I can contribute a lot to this tournament and hopefully I can prove that and be a part of our success in this tournament in the next few weeks.”
AFP
Henderson’s injury return was slightly marred by his 78th-minute penalty miss.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin won the penalty and wanted to take it, before the 30-year-old pulled rank in the hope of scoring his first England goal.
But Romania goalkeeper Florin Nita ensured Henderson did not find the back of the net on his 59th Three Lions cap with a fine save.
Henderson added: “It would have been nice, that’s why I took the penalty.
“But it’s not a focus of mine. I just focus on playing well for the team, concentrating on contributing as much as I can and being successful in tournaments and trying to get our first trophy as a team for a long time.”
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