Gareth Southgate has finally shown some bottle

The provisional England squad for the Euros unveiled by manager Gareth Southgate contains one notable omission: Jordan Henderson. That’s a big surprise, not because the midfielder deserves to be on the plane to Germany this summer, but for what it says about the thinking of the normally ultra-loyal Southgate, who is often accused of picking his personal favourites for the squad, regardless of club form.

The England manager had this to say about why he left Henderson out: ‘The determining factor was the injury he picked up in the last camp. He missed five weeks and wasn’t able to get back up to the level of intensity. It was a difficult decision. He will be a miss. He’s an exceptional individual and fantastic human being. He’s been in that leadership role for a long time.’ Fine words aimed at softening the blow to the midfielder’s pride but – make no mistake – Henderson’s England career is over.

Few neutral observers will shed tears on his behalf. Henderson has paid the ultimate price for his decision last summer to leave Liverpool and play in the Saudi Pro League. At the time, he said it was important for him to play more regularly: ‘England is a big thing for me. You have got the Euros coming up.’ It is fair to say that things haven’t quite worked out as he hoped. The Saudi move damaged his reputation among the LGBT+ community, who had come to believe the midfielder was their most vocal supporter in the game. Many felt betrayed. Henderson insisted the move was not motivated by money and sought to appease his critics by suggesting that he would be a force for good in the country: ‘Having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing.’ The mental gymnastics on display were embarrassing: Henderson is no villain, just a fool.

Things unravelled pretty quickly. Henderson decided to terminate his contract with Al Ettifaq less than six months into the deal, and opted to move to the Dutch giants Ajax in January. It hasn’t quite worked out for him there either: his form has been indifferent at best. The payback has been brutal, more so because it comes at the hands of Southgate. In the past, the England manager has chosen to stick with Henderson through thick and thin, despite widespread ridicule and disbelief from fans and pundits alike. To be fair, Southgate is not the first England manager who has found it hard to let go of a player he deemed a part of the core group, a trustworthy and capable lieutenant, charged with imposing the manager’s instructions on the field of play. No longer. Even Southgate can see that Henderson, who would have turned 34 this summer, is no longer up to it. The England manager is right to pull the plug, and Henderson can have few complaints.

There are quite a few other surprises in today’s announcement. A number of notable contenders didn’t make the cut, including Marcus Rashford. Few could have predicted last year that Rashford would not feature at the Euros. He scored 30 goals in all competitions last season but his form has fallen off the cliff this campaign. He will be gutted, but he simply doesn’t merit a place. Raheem Sterling, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are out as well. Anthony Gordon, who has been a revelation at Newcastle – makes the cut. So too does Jack Grealish, who has been in and out of the title-winning Manchester City side. A quintet of five uncapped players, including Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton and Curtis Jones of Liverpool, feature in the squad.

England, packed with young talent, are one of the favourites to win the tournament. Yet Southgate has often come across as stubborn and lacking in tactical imagination when it comes to the big moments in the final stages of international tournaments. His journey with England must surely come to an end this summer – unless he wins the Euros. His decision to omit Henderson and some other under-performing England stalwarts sends a strong message to all the players. Southgate has been ruthless for once. More please.