Saudi Pro League chief claims Jordan Henderson 'damaged on a personal level' by Al-Ettifaq transfer fiasco after seeing Ajax midfielder dropped from England squad

Saudi Pro League chief football executive, Michael Emenalo, says Henderson had "no issues" with the division, despite its poor attendances, but decided to move to Ajax because he feared he would lose his place in the England squad - something that has subsequently happened anyway. Emenalo added that the 33-year-old's departure did not harm the league but suggested it may have hurt the former Liverpool and Sunderland man on a "personal level".

He told The Telegraph: “It wasn’t damaging at all for the league. It was damaging on a personal level because this is someone that we all admired and we tried our very best to help him adapt and to stay.

“But sometimes these things are just beyond your own needs and just beyond professional. Jordan did a lot of good work here, did a lot of good work for Ettifaq and had inputs in ideas that have transformed that club and had an opportunity to know the country and the culture.

“If you ask him privately now, he will tell you that he had no issues. But sometimes there is a confluence of things happening that makes individuals make a decision that I think is best for them.

“I felt that is a guy who’s an ultra-professional and who had built a career, a magnificent, magnificent career through becoming Liverpool captain, England captain and maybe to, in his mind, he had an idea of how he wanted to finish.

“And maybe at some point in the course of the season he just felt that he is not going to get that. That’s something that you have to respect and it’s not something that I agree with because I really admire him and I had a one-on-one with him to try to [persuade him to stay].”

Things have not gone to plan for Henderson in the past year or so. After leaving Liverpool for the Saudi Pro League, a move that damaged his reputation among the LGBTQ+ community, the veteran midfielder's career has gone backwards. In addition to failing to shine at Ajax, he is not in the England squad for Euro 2024.

Henderson, who initially joined Al-Ettifaq in 2023 in a deal worth £12 million ($15.4m) plus add-ons before cancelling his contract in January and joining Ajax, will not be involved in England's upcoming friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland on June 3 and 7 respectively. And, barring a shock call-up, he won't be going to this summer's European Championships in Germany either.