2018 FIFA World Cup: 5 England players who should not be selected

#4 Jordan Henderson

It's sometimes tricky to work out exactly what Jordan Henderson brings to the England side

Another of Southgate’s captains in qualifying for the World Cup, it’s now becoming harder and harder to justify Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson a spot on the plane to Russia, let alone a spot in England’s starting line-up.

Despite being Liverpool’s club captain, Henderson has found himself surplus to requirements on key occasions this season, against Manchester United last weekend for instance and prior to that, in a key UEFA Champions League fixture against Sevilla. And if he’s expendable to his club, surely the same could be said for his country.

England fans have often questioned exactly what the role of Henderson should be in their side – under Southgate, who’s usually favoured a formation involving two central midfielders sitting behind Dele Alli and Harry Kane – as well as widemen like Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, Henderson has often played alongside Eric Dier.

The problem with this is that while Dier performs his defensive duties well, Henderson simply isn’t creative enough or quick enough with his passing to open up opposing defences. In his most recent England performances, for instance, his passing range was way off and he was clearly outshone by the newcomer Harry Winks.

With Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere now regularly starting for his club and hitting a decent vein of form, it makes far more sense for England to play him as the more creative midfielder alongside Dier. And beyond him, the likes of Lewis Cook, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Winks appear to offer far more than Henderson.

Despite his experience – three international tournaments – when it’s hard to see exactly what a player brings to a side then he probably shouldn’t be there, and thus Henderson shouldn’t be going to Russia.