JORDAN HENDERSON drove seven hours and 400 miles in a minibus to watch England’s Euro 2024 final loss in Berlin after being dropped by Gareth Southgate.
Now the Ajax midfielder — who became Van Henderson by taking his family on the gruelling trip — is hoping to go the full distance with new boss Thomas Tuchel to next year’s World Cup.
The former Liverpool captain ended his 16-month international exile with a cameo appearance in Friday’s 2-0 Wembley qualifying win over Albania.
Tuchel believes Henderson’s experience throughout the qualifiers will be vital and there is no debate over his love for England.
This was proved by his dash from pre-season training in Amsterdam to the German capital to watch England’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in July.
Henderson, 34, had featured in six Euro qualifiers for Southgate but was left out of the squad after his ill-advised switch to Saudi Arabia.
But asked about his decision to watch his mates at the Olympic Stadium, Henderson revealed: “I didn’t know until late whether I could go due to the training times and schedule.
“But when I found out I could go, there were no flights anywhere. I couldn’t go from England, couldn’t go from Amsterdam.
“So then I looked at how far it was and hired a van for me, the family and the kids. And we drove across. It took seven hours.
“I felt I’d been a part of the qualifying campaign. I was in every squad right up until the Euros.
“I was watching on the telly and it was hard — but all I wanted was the lads to do well and win.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But I was happy I went to watch them live. I just needed to be there.”
There were some stunned reactions from England fans who were also driving to Germany when they saw the Henderson family at service stations along the route.
He added: “When we needed the toilet or just popped into the garages, it was quite funny to see some of the fans.
“It was nice to see them but obviously I would have rather been with the team.”
The experienced midfielder has enjoyed a decent season with Ajax — despite one blip in January when the club were considering selling him to Monaco to save money on his wages.
But he has also had a positive impact off the pitch and helped the club move six points clear at the top of the Eredivisie.
While Hendo’s return was met with groans by some England fans, it was a clever move by Tuchel as the team lacked leadership in Germany.
So did Henderson fear that his international career was over? He replied: “Not really, otherwise I would have retired.
“I was disappointed last summer but I still feel physically fit and I was never going to shut that door. Deep inside, I always wanted to come back.
“Whether or not I got the opportunity wasn’t down to me but thankfully I kept my head down, kept working hard, kept doing the right things.
“I’ve had a good season this year with Ajax and thankfully, I got the opportunity to come back.
“From my first cap up until now, anyone can see my commitment to England.
“I have always wanted to give absolutely everything, every time I’ve been here — and that will never change.
“You see the experience all over the pitch but also you need a mixture of young players coming through. We have that with this squad.”
As he stressed ahead of Friday’s game, Tuchel believes that communication was an issue among the England players in Germany.
And when it comes to talking on the pitch, as Liverpool’s players will remember, Henderson does a lot of it.
Hoping to win his 83rd cap against Latvia at Wembley on Monday, he added: “It’s not just down to one player to communicate.
“You need five or six communicating all the time on the pitch. The more people talk, the better.”
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