Why Thomas Tuchel picked Jordan Henderson: Insiders reveal star players pining for his return, the problem he solves for the England manager and how he’s so much more than a cheerleader

On a bitter night in Riga last October, with dense forest hemming the Daugava Stadium, Jordan Henderson orchestrated a pre-match shooting drill, cajoling and instructing team-mates. Here was Thomas Tuchel’s Grand Old Oak.

Eight months later, on a sweltering afternoon in Florida and with palm trees for company this time, Henderson was again overseeing a training exercise. He even had the authority to tweak the rules of the keep-ball session.

To be around the England squad is to realise why the 35-year-old midfielder is here, despite protests from afar.

Mother hen. Shop steward. Gareth Keenan from The Office. Busy b******. Call Henderson what you like, Tuchel sees his value and has done from the start. And the German, especially when it comes to social dynamic, is a shrewd observer.

The head coach soon identified several issues inherited from Gareth Southgate, including Jude Bellingham’s place in the hierarchal pecking order coming out of Euro 2024.

Henderson is part of the solution. He took the Real Madrid midfielder under his wing at the 2022 World Cup and, while the younger man has taken flight to a nest and altitude of his own, the presence of Henderson should help keep his feet on the ground.

England insiders noted after the European Championship that Henderson had been a big miss and senior players have since spoken about a need for more leadership within the group. ‘We see different, better versions of players when Jordan is in camp than if he is not in camp,’ said Tuchel last summer, as good as confirming his World Cup place 12 months in advance.

Indeed, whenever challenged on the inclusion of Henderson — ahead of the likes of Adam Wharton — he is unwavering. We were in a Wembley suite with Tuchel last year when the subject was again raised.

‘I understand the question,’ he said and the caveat was inevitable. ‘But once you meet Jordan, see Jordan and speak to Jordan, it’s such an obvious choice. Your perception is far away from my perception, but I understand it.

‘This isn’t Adam Wharton versus Jordan Henderson. What Jordan brings to the group, an Under-21 player cannot bring.’

Interestingly, the group Henderson was given charge of during Tuesday’s session at England’s Palm Beach Gardens base included both senior and younger players.

‘Yes Tino!’ he screamed in praise of Tino Livramento, hugging the defender 12 years his junior. He was less tactile with Marcus Rashford, but no one challenged Henderson’s command.

He wore his shorts hiked up over his thighs, revealing a tattoo of the Champions League trophy, a reminder that he lifted that as captain of Liverpool in 2019. He is one of only four players in the squad to have won Europe’s biggest prize.

Henderson is also on the cusp of England history by featuring in seven major tournaments, dating back to Euro 2012 under Roy Hodgson.

‘You’re preparing for your third World Cup…’ posed a reporter this week. ‘Fourth!’ snapped Henderson, albeit with a smile.

There are some who believe he should only be here as part of the backroom staff, if Tuchel insists on his involvement.

The head coach says he has never given a second’s thought to such a scenario.

For him, it is imperative that Henderson is empowered as a player, not a cheerleader like David Beckham at the World Cup in 2010. This way it allows him to empathise. Henderson’s Saudi Arabian misadventure will also, somewhat belatedly, prove useful. He is well placed to advise on how to pace yourself in such heat and humidity.

Daily Mail Sport was in the stands when he made his debut for Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq in January 2024.

For the opening half an hour, he ran around like Jordan Henderson does. Come half-time, he had a wet towel draped around his neck. Come the 87th minute, it felt like an act of mercy when he was taken off. He missed the next game through illness. Dehydration and exhaustion, no doubt. Still, such experience will be invaluable in the steam room of North America.

Now at Brentford, Henderson has also shown he can still compete in the Premier League. As soon as the season finished on May 24, he flew out here with his family. To fulfil the role Tuchel asks of him, he knew it was wise to get ahead of jet-lag and acclimatise early.

After the first session finished this week, it was no surprise to see him striding towards the pitchside cameras and microphones. Not in search of the limelight, but more so sending a message of responsibility and accountability. At Euro 2024, there was internal tension when it was felt certain players did not carry their share of the load.

Henderson spoke with great enthusiasm about the ‘invisible work’ needed for England to prosper here — the hard yards that are not so easy in 35°C heat. 

There was, however, nothing invisible about his role in policing and enforcing such standards. Tuchel’s Grand Old Oak stands at the centre of this camp, if not necessarily the midfield.

In a squad packed with talent, his value lies in making sure everyone else uses theirs.