Henderson has been out of the spotlight domestically and internationally since he was last picked for England in March 2024, shortly after the end of his controversial move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq, which broke down only six months after joining from Liverpool. The booing which greeted his substitution during his final round of appearances during the November internationals in 2023, amid rising criticism for moving to the Middle East after previously being seen as an ambassador for the LGBTQ+ community, appeared to point towards an unsavoury end to an England career which had taken Henderson to 81 caps and six international tournaments. That looked even more likely after he failed to make a single England appearance in 2024, and did not appear in any of Gareth Southgate or Lee Carsley's squads after the March internationals last year. Paul Merson: England squad needs a reset but Thomas Tuchel doesn't have timeMorgan Gibbs-White called up for England after Cole Palmer injuryEngland fixtures | World Cup 2026 European qualifying: Fixtures and full schedule So why has Tuchel, a man with little time to build a squad capable of winning next summer's World Cup - when his contract as head coach expires - decided to put his faith in the 34-year-old now? "I was not surprised [he was called up]," Ajax boss Francesco Farioli told Sky Sports following his selection. "He's a player who can bring many things. "The age, the passport, these are just factors because with his mentality and his professionalism, it's not something which is declining. "Now England is rebuilding and building a new story, I think they definitely need these kinds of players and especially human beings." Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺Choose the Sky Sports notifications you want! 🔔 Tuchel can and already has pointed to Henderson's qualities as a leader in a squad including 15 players with fewer than 10 senior caps - while he is its third-most capped player - and most of his defence of the selection of the 34-year-old has centred around his personal qualities. He has labelled the ex-Liverpool skipper a "serial winner", having won both the Champions League and Premier League at Anfield, and said he raises standards around him. "He is the glue in every team where he played, and he will be the glue that makes things special," he told ITV. And that's what Tuchel needs right now. This is not a team for the future - at the moment, it's one tournament and out for the head coach so experienced heads, who have been there and done it, are his order of the day. Right-back Kyle Walker, for instance, had endured a torrid half-season at Man City before leaving for AC Milan in January, but is another to keep his place as one of the only two players in the squad more experienced internationally than Henderson. "He can't afford to keep on looking at squads and seeing if Tom, Dick or Harry's going to be all right for next year," said Sky Sports' Paul Merson. "He needs his team now. He needs to win a World Cup. "So, what's he done? He's just picked the same players because he knows they're tried and tested, and he hasn't got to worry. "He's done exactly the same which is why Jordan Henderson's in it. He knows what you're going to get. Does what it says on the tin." It is to Henderson's credit that you know what you get with him. You certainly don't captain a Jurgen Klopp team unless you lead, and lead by example - consistently. Even so, that may not be enough to pacify the frustrations Adam Wharton or Conor Gallagher must have, especially when both were named in the 26-man squad for last summer's Euros and the latter scored against Real Madrid in a Champions League knock-out game last week. Henderson cannot argue he is playing at the same standard as either of them, or that he is at the same level as he was at his peak. But Tuchel is no fool, and though the midfielder's selection is understandably divisive there is logic behind it. In an England squad that includes only three conventional central midfielders - and Jude Bellingham has barely played there since joining Real Madrid - there is a good chance Henderson will get at least some game time against Albania and Latvia over the international break. With that in mind, there is no chance Tuchel has picked Henderson for his temperament alone, and his stats in the Eredivisie this season do make impressive reading. Despite dropping back into a No 6 role under Farioli, he is playing more as an all-action midfielder than ever - he wins the ball back in his own third more regularly than almost any other central midfielder in the league, but also has the fourth-highest rate of completed passes in the final third. The Ajax team he leads sit six points clear at the top of Eredivisie, something in itself that deserves more credit than it will receive especially turning round the fortunes of a club that endured such a tumultuous season in 2023/24. Whether or not that can transfer into rebuilt bridges with the England support at Wembley over the next week feels a tough ask but, for now, he is Tuchel's man.

All 26 players of this England squad were out [for training], but there were three additions as well, which is significant. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Liam Delap and Adam Wharton were all included from the U21s, so Tuchel's decided that he wants more than 26 up in this training session. We expected Cole Palmer to withdraw from this England camp, but the FA have informed us that he's still being assessed by Chelsea, so even though he's not at St George's Park, he hasn't been ruled out of contention for these two games. I think you have to say it's unlikely he will be involved. Dan Burn yet to celebrate Carabao Cup final heroics as he eyes first England capPaul Merson: England squad needs a reset but Thomas Tuchel hasn't got timeEngland's World Cup 2026 qualifying fixtures and tournament scheduleGet the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 England did have a bit of an introductory, warm-down session on the grass on Monday, but Tuesday was his first full training session and the first time with all the cameras. There were lots of German media as well, such is their interest in this, and Tuchel admitted that it's a very different sort of job that he's got, being in charge of an international side. He gave a very inspirational, emotional welcome speech, I think, to the players on their first night as a squad, and he talked repeatedly of a brotherhood between the players. Tuchel wants to try and foster that brilliant relationship that Gareth Southgate started amongst the squad, but he did stress to them the only goal, as far as he's concerned, is the World Cup, and the attempt to win the World Cup starts now with this first international camp. I've been really impressed with him since he's started the job. Tuchel has had the English media eating out of the palm of his hand in every news conference that he's done so far, and by all accounts, he's had a similar response from the England players, such was this inspirational speech he gave. The players have been impressed by him, but it's a very short-term job. He has an 18-month contract, and he's already three months into that before he's played his first game, so he's got to hit the ground running. He doesn't have to try and bring young players through, he's got to try and win the World Cup and I think that's why you're seeing some of the names included in this camp. 'Lewis-Skelly has the chance to be first-choice left-back' Jordan Henderson is probably the most controversial inclusion. He's 34 years old now, absolutely not one for the future - he's for the here and now. There will be some England supporters who think he was one for the past and maybe shouldn't be involved. But Thomas Tuchel said 'absolutely none of that'. He called Henderson a winner, a leader, with huge experience and he's very much part of his plans for the World Cup going forward. He is playing very well for Ajax, by all accounts. With Marcus Rashford, it's a year since we've seen him play for England. He's been reborn at Aston Villa - out from the footballing wilderness at Manchester United, where it just wasn't going well for him. It felt like he needed a break. We know Tuchel contacted him soon after he was given the England job to say he was part of his plans, so I don't think it's any huge surprise that he's in this squad now. There's a feeling amongst the press corps and people in football that Myles Lewis-Skelly has the chance to become England's first-choice left-back for many years to come. It's been a problem position for England for years now and he's Mikel Arteta's first choice for Arsenal. He's skipped the U21s and been called up straight to the seniors. He's a great athlete, gets forward, creates opportunities, but he's very impressive defensively as well. That's something that Tuchel will really appreciate. Yes, sometimes that aggression has gone a little bit too far. We've seen him see red twice - albeit with one of those red cards rescinded - and there was a feeling that he might have seen red in the Champions League as well. But you don't want to take that aggression away from a defender like Lewis-Skelly. And what a five days Dan Burn has had. He's never trained or stayed at St George's Park before. Almost every single one of the England players knows St George's Park, they've trained here with the junior teams. Not so for Burn. We asked him about that and whether he'd celebrated winning the Carabao Cup too much. And he said no, he was actually trying to get his team-mates to be quiet on the bus at around midnight because all he wanted to do was go to sleep because he had an early call for England the next day. Will he make his debut? We wait to see about that, but he gets his chance because of injuries to Harry Maguire and Ben White, who Tuchel says is ready to return to the England fold when he's fully fit. But it is a chance for Burn to impress in the meantime. It was controversial in the extreme when Morgan Gibbs-White was left out of Friday's squad. In fact, Paul Merson said it is a disgrace that he wasn't involved in the first place. It is a chance for him to impress in Palmer's absence, but there's huge competition in that No 10 position - Bellingham, Foden and Palmer. Will Morgan Gibbs-White get his chance? He will hope so because he's having the season of his life. 'Bellingham and Kane key for World Cup aspirations' Jude Bellingham is one of the senior players now, despite his tender years, and is one of the most important members of this England squad if they have aspirations to win the World Cup. He doesn't suffer fools gladly. I know there were some fallings out with Southgate, but whilst they didn't always see eye-to-eye, there was a huge mutual respect between the two. Can Tuchel nurture a close relationship with Bellingham, bring out the best in him, make him a leader in this England team again and make him the very best he can possibly be? That's probably a much easier thing for him to do with Harry Kane. The two men became very close while Tuchel was in charge at Bayern Munich, and the England manager has confirmed that Kane will continue as his captain. Kane is in good form again right now, fully fit and firing for Bayern Munich. He has 10 goals in the Champions League this season - that's more than any other Englishman has ever managed in the competition. Overall, he has 32 goals and 11 assists this season. He is a goal machine, a consummate professional, and he's going to be absolutely key to Tuchel's hopes of winning the World Cup. Kane is also influential with the rest of this England squad and you suspect Tuchel will want to nurture that as much as he possibly can. Back three or four for Tuchel? This is going to be a key question over the next few days as we build up to Tuchel's first game in charge, which is against Albania at Wembley on Friday. A lot of people at Chelsea remember he played with three centre-backs, but that was because the players he had at his disposal suited that formation rather than it being necessarily Tuchel's preferred formation. If you look at what he did in PSG and Bayern Munich, he tended to play with a back four, so I think it could be either. If you ask me for my gut feeling, I think he'll go with a back four predominantly with England. We know that full-back has been a difficult position. If you're playing with three centre-backs, there's a lot of expectation on the full-backs to get forward and offer support to any England attacks. I'm not sure he's exactly got the personnel fully fit to be able to do that. And also, if you play with wing-backs, I think it nullifies where England are very strong, which is wide attacking players. They've got so many good wide attacking options that you want those guys to be the people who are getting down the flanks and putting the crosses in. It may be something that evolves and changes. It may be something that Tuchel is prepared to change in the middle of matches - he's done that before. Tuchel will probably use both formations over the next 15 months.

It was a very different Pochettino to the one I last saw 10 months or so ago a few weeks before leaving Chelsea. He is about to jump back on a plane to the USA to prepare his side to take on Panama in the CONCACAF semi-finals ahead of next year's World Cup, which the USA are co-hosting with Mexico and Canada. Life, though, could have looked very different for the Argentine on this sunny day in London where football is football and most definitely not soccer. His Chelsea departure after he and the club "mutually agreed to part ways" took some by surprise after he had finished the season strongly guiding Chelsea to a League Cup final, the FA Cup semi-finals and a sixth-placed finish to gain Europa Conference League qualification. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Tottenham news & transfers⚪Spurs fixtures & scores | FREE highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Tottenham games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺Get the Sky Sports notifications you want! 🔔 By the time he left, there was a growing harmony with most of the fans although "the love" that he had had at other clubs was never there, but Pochettino looked to have lost a bit of his mojo amid the business of Chelsea. So came the first of his big decisions of the last year. "I think always when something doesn't work it's better to stop and to look at different things and I think it was the best decision for both sides," Pochettino says. "Yes, I think both sides are happy to split and then to be open to see different options, and different options appear." They did for various clubs and countries but Pochettino's next big decision of the last 12 months was to become head coach of the USA in September. "Maybe it's not easy for the people to understand why," he says. "I think being the national coach or head coach of the USA with the World Cup in 2026, I think for a coaching staff like us, after too many years working in clubs, I think it was a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves, to know how to discover and to learn doing things in different ways. "I think it was a great opportunity and that is why we started to pay attention and when the offer arrived, I think it was easy to say yes. "I think to host the World Cup is an amazing experience. Then with the country that we are talking about, the USA, I think it's amazing. Too many good things appear in this moment and of course one of the reasons to take the job was because hosting the World Cup is very close. It isn't waiting four years to play the World Cup, it was less than two years. "I am so excited because I think the decision was good, I am enjoying it a lot and I think it's so exciting to discover every single day different things to work on and different emotions. It's a completely different job than in the past, a mystery because it's a completely different world but I think we are really, really enjoying that situation." 'Timing wasn't right for England job' I suggest to Pochettino that he might have been preparing another nation for those finals if reports after the departure of Sir Gareth Southgate linking him to the England job are to be believed. So was it a possibility? He pauses for a moment and then says: "It's always about the timing. "I was talking with my former president Daniel Levy [Tottenham chairman] and he says always football is about timings and he always told me, 'Mauricio, always it's timing'. "It's true because he has experience in football and it's a privilege to be head coach of the England national team but the timings sometimes are not in the same, in the moment that you can be available like this and this option disappears." It was of course another former Chelsea head coach, Thomas Tuchel, who got the job but there's a sense that it could have been quite different. Poch: I want Spurs return one day and still talk to Levy The mention of Daniel Levy and the pair's relationship took me by surprise. Six years after leaving Tottenham he still cites the club's chairman as a sounding board. That must be a rarity I say to him, and Pochettino looks at me like I am mad. "Why?" he says, and I remind him, "Because he sacked you." He replies: "You're talking about two different sides, professional and personal and I've seen always the appreciation in between both. "He is always there and he's going to be there. It's another thing to take professional decisions. It's true after nearly six years with all that we lived together, it was tough because of all the ups and downs and emotional things that we lived. "I've seen always it's difficult in football that that doesn't affect all this type of situation in your relationship. For us, we split very well. One thing was professional, another personal and now, like the day after we left Tottenham, we keep always a very, very good relationship." Does he ever think there's another chapter of that story to go with Spurs? Could he ever see himself back there? He responds: "Look, when I left the club I always remember one interview I said I would like one day to come back to Tottenham and that is of course," Pochettino pauses and continues, "I am in the USA, I am not going to no, I'm not going to talk about that, but what I said then still after six years or five years, I still feel in my heart that, yes, I would like one day to come back. We see the timing, like Daniel said." For the moment Ange Postecoglou is the man in charge at Spurs and, after coming through the last-16 tie against AZ Alkmaar, the quarter-finals of the Europa League await. Pochettino still follows his old side closely and has urged the need for time and trust. He says: "We suffered something in Chelsea from the beginning when we suffered too many issues and when you don't have your squad you cannot manage this type of thing and it forces you to try to find different ways to approach the team and it is always going to affect your result. "It's not an excuse because it happened with other teams, but sometimes that happens and you need to trust. I think they start to feel and to recover the path to start to win and then to start to improve in the Premier League." He understands the frustration of the fans and talks passionately about what has been created at the club - the training ground and the stadium - but it's tangible footballing rewards that he hopes Tottenham can also get to celebrate. That is perhaps all for something in the future. For the moment the focus is on the World Cup. He thought he had left the "pressure and scrutiny" behind when he departed Chelsea, but only last week FIFA President Gianni Infantino was piling the pressure back on during a visit to the White House to see Donald Trump. Pochettino smiles and says, "I saw with Infantino, and Infantino said, 'Oh, the USA can win the World Cup'. The President asked, 'Can we win?' Maybe he needs to ask me directly because I don't believe that Infantino can say three, four names of our players." Pretend I am Trump and I ask you that question. "If he asks me, I say yes," Pochettino admits. "President, with your help, with the fans in behind hosting the World Cup, all is possible." I did after all say the enthusiasm, confidence and swagger was back.

Mateta required 25 stitches after a horror challenge from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts saw him stretchered off at Selhurst Park in last month's FA Cup fifth-round tie that Palace won 3-1. Roberts received an extended six-match ban from the Football Association for his high boot on Mateta, who was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after being left bloodied by the challenge with injuries around his ear. But Mateta was unaware of the severity of the wounds he had suffered, and pleaded with the Palace doctor to let him return to action. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Crystal Palace news & transfers🦅Palace fixtures & scores | FREE Palace highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Crystal Palace games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺 In a TV exclusive with Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol, Mateta said: "When he kicked me, I was on the floor waiting for him to get the red card. I was good to go. I thought, 'just get the blood off and keep going'. "I was arguing with the doctor for 30 seconds, saying I wanted to play. The doctor saw the injury, but I couldn't see it. "I couldn't feel pain. The blood, for sure. But I thought it was a little cut. My ear was like this [dangling]. But it was not painful." He added: "From Palace, everyone was texting me and wanted to come to the hospital to see me. The doctor told them it was OK and that I would be visiting the training ground. "Liam contacted me and texted me while I was in hospital and I told him 'it is OK it is football'. He apologised. He was worried." Roberts abuse 'crazy' Despite the gruesome nature of the incident in the south London derby, Mateta does not believe Roberts had malicious intent in the challenge. "I don't think he woke up and thought I want to cut the head of JP," he said. "There is a lot of pressure. He wanted to do good, too much emotion makes you do crazy things. It was just a mistake. You learn from it." The Palace forward also commented on the abuse Roberts received across social media, which led to Millwall releasing a statement in support of their player, in the aftermath of the injury. "It is crazy but you know the fans will react on social media," he said. "I didn't send them to do this." Mateta to wear face mask on return to action The Frenchman missed Palace's 1-0 Premier League home win over Ipswich on March 8 - their last game prior to the international break - but he is targeting the game against Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 29 after already returning to individual training. When asked about his recovery and the timeframe for his return, Mateta added: "We were in Marbella last week and I trained [not with the squad]." When pushed for an answer on his return date, he continued: "I don't know. I'm still in touch with the specialists and the doctor. Hopefully, soon. "Hopefully, I can play [vs Fulham]. Hopefully, they can see me. I'm in the ground every day." Mateta also confirmed that when he does make his return to the field, he will be wearing a protective mask while the stitches continue to heal completely. "I need to wear a mask, I need to wear something," he said. "I will take the best one that is most comfortable."

A goal in each half from Linda Caicedo and Athenea del Castillo condemned Arsenal to a first-leg loss at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, the home of Real's reserves, and left them with plenty of work to do in the return next week in north London. Heavy rain in Madrid left the pitch at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium in a soggy state and it appeared to have an impact on the game as Leah Williamson slipped in the lead up to the opening goal of Real's 2-0 win. Real Madrid midfielder Melanie Leupolz also suffered a knee issue after seemingly kicking the surface before limping off in tears with what looked like a serious injury. Report: Arsenal bogged down by rain in Real Madrid defeatAs it happened | Teams | Match statsNot got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Download the Sky Sports app It comes just days after Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor questioned the quality of Derby's Pride Park pitch for their League Cup final win over Manchester City, asking if it would have been accepted in the men's game. Taking to Instagram Live in the first half of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final, former Arsenal men's striker Ian Wright said: "This is worse than Derby's pitch the other day. "This is a ******* disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on." And on Wednesday evening, the Professional Footballers Association [PFA] joined the criticism of the pitch conditions. A spokesperson told Sky Sports News: "Pitches like this don't just impact the quality of the game, they put player safety at risk. "On multiple occasions over the past few days, in important ties, our members have been asked to play in sub-standard conditions. World-class players deserve world-class standards, and they are right to expect better." Real Madrid did not to use the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for the game against Arsenal, who will be hosting next Wednesday's second leg at the Emirates. The men's team have not played at the newly-developed stadium, which has a retractable roof, since March 9 and do not return to action at their home venue until March 29. Asked about the call not to use the Santiago Bernabeu, Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said: "It's not on me to criticise. That's obviously a club decision and I'm sure that UEFA is trying to create the best conditions for the tournament. "Of course weather is not within control, but I think we've seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven't been great and I think that's the next step for women's football to take." Arsenal were clearly hampered by the conditions and managed just one shot on target in Tuesday's game, but Slegers is not giving up hope of turning the tie around in the second leg. "We spoke about it with the players before the game," Slegers said of the pitch. "We knew the condition of the pitch. So we had a plan for it but then it's always hard, because over a season and over time you work on things, and you have an identity the way you want to do things. "So then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden you need to do things differently, so that's hard. But the players tried, so all credit to them for trying and their work rate. "But again, I think we're all confident that we can do something against them at the Emirates at home because it's only half time." Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui posted on X after the game to criticise the decision to let the game at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium go ahead. "This pitch is barely enough for Sunday league never mind a Champions League quarter-final," he wrote. "Thinking it's OK sends the following message: we don't care about player safety, we don't care about the quality of the game... actually, we just don't care."