Jurgen Klopp has defended Jordan Henderson’s controversial move back to Europe after he agreed to join Ajax following a failed six-month spell in Saudi Arabia.
Henderson came under serious scrutiny after deciding to move to Al Ettifaq in the summer. After previously being a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal saw the former Liverpool captain on the receiving end of heavy criticism following the controversial move.
The 33-year-old also invited criticism after denying the move to Saudi Arabia was for the money, now cancelling his contract just six months after making the move to the Saudi Pro League.
Henderson has agreed to join Dutch giants, Ajax, on a two-and-a-half-year deal, with Henderson saying: “It wasn’t an easy decision (to leave Al Ettifaq) but one that I feel is best for me and my family.”
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Speaking at his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Bournemouth, Klopp defended his former captain by saying: “No, I didn’t speak to him after. But I’m happy for him as it looks like he is happy and that is the most important thing to me.
“People are really critical of Hendo about the move, first there and now coming back, I don’t know how we dare, always judging these kinds of things.
“We have one life, and we have to make decisions, and sometimes our decisions are perfect in the first case, and sometimes it feels different after you made them.
“He was there, and it was 100 percent an interesting experience. I spoke to him and 99% of the football things there were absolutely fine.
“But then he thought it is better for him and the family to come back to Europe and now he is here, at Ajax, a sensational club in a difficult moment.
“He is part of that experienced group and from fifth place in Holland you can make steps in the table, and it’s all positive. It’s an experience.
“Only in England do people think ‘Why do they go abroad?’ All other countries want to come to England and as beautiful as this country is, they want to gain international experiences and for me it’s the same.
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“He is going to Holland where he can enjoy his football again, and the family will feel wonderful because the city is absolutely outstanding, and I’m very happy for him.
“I will definitely talk to him, but in these few days I thought he has a few things to do which are more important.”
Redmen Reacts
Klopp’s comments about the Henderson situation are, as expected, very safe. There isn’t a single scenario where he’d come out and publicly shame his former captain, so he was always going to defend him.
On Henderson, it doesn’t look great. His decision making over the past six months has been questionable to say the least. It’s a shame that a player who gave us so many fantastic memories during his 12 years at Anfield seems to be doing everything he can to damage his reputation.
Ultimately the move to Ajax feels like a last-ditch attempt to ensure he’s in England’s Euro 2024 squad, as it will almost certainly be his last international tournament. Whether it’ll work and he’ll be able to fix some of his recent wrongdoings is yet to be seen. But nevertheless, I wish him all the best at Ajax.
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