Jordan Henderson has felt the staunch support of the England dressing room after being booed by the Wembley crowd, with Kieran Trippier talking up his strength of character and saying nothing could divide the squad.
Henderson heard the jeers when he was substituted in the 62nd minute of England’s 1-0 friendly win over Australia – his first appearance at the national stadium since his controversial move to Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
The former Liverpool captain has long supported the LGBTQ+ community and so his move to a country where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death was jarring and drew heavy criticism.
Henderson did not play well against Australia as he won his 79th cap but it seemed as though the boos were more a reflection of his standing in the eyes of the England support after the furore surrounding his Saudi transfer. He was one of several players who last week expressed support for Saudi’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup.
Trippier, who came on as a substitute for his 44th cap as Henderson departed, said that he was unaware at the time of the fans’ reaction. But he followed the lead of the England manager, Gareth Southgate, in rallying round Henderson.
“For us as players, we stick together,” Trippier said. “The most important thing is us as a team, the staff, Gareth, everybody involved. Internally there are no problems. Everyone is calm and relaxed.
“I see Hendo on a daily basis. He is an unbelievable character, he’s a leader – what he does for the team, playing or not playing. He’s an unbelievable person to have in the dressing room. He makes sure everyone trains properly. He sets standards.”
Trippier, 33, is enjoying something of a renaissance to his career at Newcastle, where he moved from Atlético Madrid in January of last year. There was a time, as Southgate noted on the Thursday before last, when “people used to laugh” when the full-back was called up by England.
Nobody will argue now if, as expected, Southgate starts Trippier at left-back in Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy at Wembley. The established players in the position, Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell, are injured; Levi Colwill filled the role against Australia on the occasion of his first cap.
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Trippier said: “The biggest thing for me, looking back on my whole career, was going to Spain. That helped me develop as a player. What [the manager] Diego Simeone did for me personally … I feel like it’s added so much time on my career.
“Tactically, even just on a board, he was putting me in positions I never thought I could be in. He just makes it so simple. I’ve learned that much in Spain that I feel I’ve come back to England a much more mature and intelligent player. People say you slow down when you hit 30 but I feel like I’m going the other way.”
