It wasn’t a great week for Jordan Henderson’s PR off the pitch – and his performance against Ukraine wasn’t a game which will help his case on the pitch either.
While quite what Harry Maguire is still doing in the England squad is a puzzle. Yes, he was rarely at fault during the Euro 2024 qualifier in Poland but surely it was a night to give others experience.
More about the Manchester United man later. Henderson’s interview early last week sparked much debate over his hypocrisy on LGBTQ+ issues.
What was maybe overlooked is the fact he has not just made a controversial move because of human rights issues, but also a debatable one in footballing terms.
READ MORE: 3 things Gareth Southgate got wrong including odd selections as England draw with Ukraine
The former Liverpool captain is now playing at a much lower standard every week rather than the top end of the Premier League.
That could maybe explain this performance against Ukraine. The Al-Ettifaq midfielder looked off the pace from the start.
There were misplaced passes, a bizarre cut back to James Maddison when a chance presented itself and a lazy challenge thrown into the mix.
The England stalwart also didn’t do much to stop Oleksandr Zinchenko waltzing into the area for Ukraine’s opener, although he wasn’t the only one in red at fault for that.
Henderson, 33, spent 12 years at Liverpool being a vital cog in a midfield machine. He was a presser for Jurgen Klopp and his running on and off the ball kept the Reds ticking.
But he seemed to struggle to do that here.
Maybe just early season rustiness, but others will put it down to the effect of playing in a league of much lower quality.
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There were some good moments, a couple of good tackles to stop Ukraine breaking while his leadership is obviously important to his national manager.
It was a bold decision by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate to pick him in his squad for the qualifier against Ukraine yesterday and friendly with Scotland on Tuesday.
But it was bizarre to start him in a midfield three alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.
There were no signs of a supposed protest which was planned from LGBTQ+ fans in the away end at the Tarczynski Arena.
Southgate had said that he would never be influenced in his team selection by outside noise anyways.
But parking the controversy, why is the England manager persisting with three midfielders while attacking talents like Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden warm the bench against a team they knew would be difficult to break down?
It seemed all the more strange that Henderson got the nod given he appeared to be playing a much more forward role than usual until later in the game when he actually improved as he dropped back.
James Maddison looked isolated on the left and you must wonder what influence he could have had in a more central role.
Even Bellingham wasn’t at his brightest given the superb start for Real Madrid this season while Rice picked passes well and broke up play in a deep-lying role.
But Southgate seems unwilling to adapt to different opposition and that lack of tactical flexibility could cost the Three Lions in Germany next year.
That brings us back to Maguire. While the manager is not offering tactical flexibility, he also wants to continue with some of the same names.
Kalvin Phillips can count himself very fortunate to still be in England squads given his lack of appearances for Manchester City.
But at least the former Leeds man didn’t turn down a move away in the summer to get more football. Maguire did.
If Southgate was serious about only picking in-form players who are actually getting starts for their clubs then the United man should have been axed.
Not just because he’s not starting for United. He hasn’t been for almost 12 months.
But because he refused a move to West Ham where he would have been playing every game.
You can argue Maguire, 30, has been harshly dealt with at Old Trafford.
You could even launch a debate over whether he should be starting in Erik ten Hag’s team.
You’d be wrong on both counts, though. But at least there’s a row to be had over it.
Yet Southgate continuing to select a player who turned his nose up to a move to West Ham because he wanted a pay off United refused to give him is not up for discussion.
Maguire is well within his rights to argue that United agreed to pay him a huge amount of money each week until 2025 and they should honour it.
Of course they should, but they also gave the former Leicester defender a way to get more regular football by accepting a £30m bid from the Hammers.
United’s loss is £50m on the £80m they foolishly paid to Leicester in 2019 for the England defender. The Old Trafford club is in crisis but one shrewd decision they did make this summer was to scoff at the money Maguire wanted to walk.
Why should they pay off a player whose own performances have caused his value both in a transfer fee and salary to plummet?
This is not to cause more of a pile on for Maguire. Some of the abuse he has received at football grounds in pre-season and on social media is disgusting and vile.
But he chose to stay at United and, until he wins his place back in Ten Hag’s side, then he must suffer the consequences.
That should be his international call up being taken away by the Three Lions manager who has been so adamant that playing regularly is so important.
Maguire, it appears, has been saved by the injury to John Stones and a lack of depth in English centre backs with international experience.
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He was pulled across the area which allowed the space for Zinchenko to waltz into but his midfield team-mates were more to blame.
But he didn’t do anything in the game that Fikayo Tomori or Lewis Dunk wouldn’t have been capable of.
Like Henderson, Southgate favours Maguire’s experience but if he doesn’t give others chances when they deserve it then they will never get that experience.
Both Henderson and Maguire have made risky decisions this summer if they really hope to play starring roles for England at next summer’s Euros.
One will play at a level well below elite football while the other will barely play at all. The focus will be on Southgate if he continues to pick both. The England boss must also start thinking more imaginatively and that won’t help either’s case for the Euros.
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