“Let’s not dress it up” – Jordan Henderson criticized for his recent comments on the Saudi move

Henderson stated that there has been an approach from Al-Ettifaq and the club's response in terms of his value and desire to stay "may have changed".

"Al-Ettifaq approached the club to see if I could go there. Again, the club's response was no. At that point I felt that the value or desire to stay with the manager and within the club had changed. I knew the time would come. I didn't think it would happen now. And I have to accept that".

The comments contradict what Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said before. Klopp expressed surprise when Henderson told him he wanted to continue. He said (through):

Was I surprised when Henderson said he wanted to continue? It's natural. We had a relationship for eight years. He knew the situation that we wanted to keep him, but if he wanted to leave, we would not throw stones in his way. It was about reacting to it.

He dismissed Henderson's attempts to deflect attention away from the financial aspects of his move, saying money was clearly the main motivation behind the move.

Jordan argued that Henderson would be more honest if he admitted that money played a role in his decision.

He noted that the move to Saudi Arabia offers Henderson a significant financial package and it would be disingenuous to downplay that aspect.

It's funny that he says he didn't go mainly for the money. He is a parrot!' If you were working on your old LFC salary, would you still be going into sports development???? Simon Jordan reacts to Jordan Henderson's argument about playing in Saudi Arabia. — TalkSPORT ( talkSPORT ) September 5, 2023

To say he didn't go to Saudi Arabia primarily for the money is ridiculous. I don't care if he went there for money or not, but the bottom line is that's why he went there. Jordan Henderson cannot overcome the inevitable. I would rather he turn around and say that one of the driving forces is money. You are an international footballer, you play for Liverpool and you go to a league where there is big money. What are the other main reasons? I believe he cares, but the reality is that he cares, and then he suffers the consequences of suggesting that I not go into certain environments that he is not ready for. I don't blame him for going there with a lot of money, regardless of his age. At the end of the day, footballers are there to enjoy their career and if someone is careless to pay them £400 or £500 a week, that's on them. But don't dress it up as something that no, it's basically a monetary transaction.

Jordan Henderson is currently under the radar of England fans and is expected to receive the warmest of receptions when he turns up for England on international duty this week.