Gareth Southgate not letting jeers affect selection as he backs Jordan Henderson

Gareth Southgate vowed not to let a “popularity contest” sway his selections as the England boss threw his full support behind Jordan Henderson days after the stand-in skipper was jeered off at Wembley.

The Euro 2020 runners-up are within touching distance of qualifying for next summer’s finals and will seal their spot in Germany should they avoid defeat to Italy on Tuesday evening.

Wembley will welcome a second sell-out crowd in five days after Friday’s friendly against Australia brought an impressive turnout for what proved to be a largely forgettable 1-0 friendly win.

Getting set for Italy. pic.twitter.com/VThZUOh7YJ

— England (@England) October 16, 2023

The main talking point after the match was the reaction for Henderson as the former Liverpool skipper played his first match on home soil since his controversial switch to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.

The 33-year-old was jeered when he was substituted in the second half – negativity that Southgate said “defies logic” at the time and a reaction that he underlined on Monday will never impact his decisions.

Asked if he would continue selecting Henderson if the boos continue, Southgate said: “Yes, 100 per cent.

“I’ll always pick the players that I think are the best players to represent the team, that give us the best chance of winning, unless there’s something that I feel is not appropriate.

“In this instance, people may disagree with Jordan’s stance or decision given the stance he’s taken in the past to support the LGBT community.

“But I don’t think that’s a reason to not select him. I don’t actually think that’s a reason to boo him.

“We would like all the fans behind us. We’re a stronger team if the supporters are with us and wholeheartedly supporting the team. That’s the connection we’ve had over a long period of time now.

“We’ll assess Jordan like every other player. But if I just select on a popularity contest, then our team would look very, very different.”