LONDON – There was a mixed – at best – reaction to Jordan Henderson wanting to end his time in Saudi Arabia. The former England and Liverpool captain was the player who took up the challenge of joining the Saudi Pro-League’s gold rush and yet denied doing so for the money.

Instead, while also accused of hypocrisy over abandoning his pro-LGBTQ+ stance, Henderson, in a disastrous interview with The Athletic last September, doubled down, saying: “We can all bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar.”