Southgate slams England fans for Henderson treatment

Gareth Southgate cannot understand why fans turned on Jordan Henderson after the long-serving England vice-captain was booed off against Australia at Wembley.

Eyebrows were raised when the 33-year-old swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal.

Henderson had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September's doubleheader against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different in England's first home match since his controversial move.

There were murmurs when Henderson's named was read out before Friday's 1-0 friendly win against Australia at sold-out Wembley, where he was jeered by some fans when replaced in the second half.

"I really don't understand it," Southgate said of the reaction. "He's a player who I think has 79 caps now for England.

"His commitment and what he has delivered for England is exceptional.

"His role within the group on and off the pitch is phenomenally important.

"He's the one that has taken the likes of Jude Bellingham under his wing as soon as he came in the squad, provides a brilliant role model for all of the group in his professionalism and his approach to every part of his work.

"Some people decided to boo. I really don't understand what that is for.

"We've got players in England shirts. Yeah, come on, we play Italy on Tuesday (in a key Euro 2024 qualifier). Let's get behind this team.

"I know we weren't at our best tonight but that was due to a lot of changes we made and we gave the players out there a difficult task