For Jordan Henderson, it’s a case of what could have been when he was photographed vacationing in Portugal concurrently with the arrival of his old England teammates in Germany for Euro 2024.  

The player, who for so long was a fixture of Gareth Southgate’s midfield, will not be participating in the tournament after being left out of the 33-man provisional roster announced last month.

Henderson tried to save his Tree Lions career by moving to Ajax in January, but in the end, his decision to pursue the enormous fortunes available in the Saudi Arabian Pro League came back to hаunt him.

On Monday, the 26-man squad led by Gareth Southgate landed in Germany. Henderson was seen at an Algarve resort with his spouse, Rebecca. Before leaving in a golf buggy, the couple appeared at ease in their workout attire.  

Jordan Henderson and wife Rebecca Burnett were seen driving a golf buggy in the Algarve

Henderson, who is 33 years old, might have easily made the final team if he had been a regular player for Liverpool. That’s how much Southgate believed in his own ability.

His family was having difficulty relocating to the Middle East after receiving harsh criticism from LGBTQ+ protesters, turning his £350,000-per-week Saudi ambition at Al-Ettifaq into a nightmare.

Henderson signed with Ajax in January in an attempt to turn things around and resurrect his dreams of playing in Europe. However, he was sent to a subpar team that struggled to even place fifth in the Eredivisie due to unrest off the pitch.

After a year to forget, it’s all just a self-inflicted fall from grace for the England regular.

Not to be forgotten, Henderson was part of the England team as recently as March, playing a cameo role in the 2-2 draw at Wembley against Belgium.

After leading the Three Lions in the October friendly match against Australia, he participated in the subsequent Euro qualifiers against Malta and Italy.

During the Southgate era – and for some time prior to that – only ιnjury had kept Henderson out of England’s midfield.

He was regarded as a ‘Mr Dependable’ figure in the engine room, rarely showy but full of energy and trustworthy to make the right pass or marshal team-mates. He is a model professional.

It was far from assured that Henderson would play much part out in Germany but Southgate may well have valued his vast experience around the camp.