Gareth Southgate and England endured a nervy night at Wembley on Friday, as they slogged their way to a 1-0 friendly win over Australia.
Ollie Watkins' goal just before the hour mark was ultimately enough to seal the deal for England, on a night when they were far from their best.
One of the most notable elements of the night, however, saw veteran Jordan Henderson booed by sections of the home crowd during the game.
Ex-Liverpool captain Henderson was met with boos on numerous occasions during the night, and it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out what had drawn the crowd's ire.
After a 12-year spell on Merseyside which saw him play a pivotal role in turning around Liverpool's fortunes under Jurgen Klopp, Henderson departed Anfield for the Saudi Pro League, where he now lines out under former teammate Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq.
Given the natural human rights concerns that come with appearing in such a league, Henderson has found sympathy hard to come by since his move to the region - and Southgate appeared to play dumb when quizzed on the matter in his post-match press conference.
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Gareth Southgate's bizarre defence of Jordan Henderson doesn't hold up
Jordan Henderson's move to Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League was deeply disappointing for many football fans, especially given his previous vocal support for the LGBTQ+ community. His choice to take a major pay day to play in a country with such backward policies towards the community has earned him criticism from all around, even from former Liverpool teammates.
Despite all the justifiable noise surrounding Henderson's move to Saudi Arabia, Gareth Southgate was supposedly oblivious as to why the England midfielder was booed in London on Friday night.
"79 caps now for England. His commitment and what he's delivered for England is exceptional." 👏
"Henderson's role within the group on and off the pitch is phenomenally important!" 🤷♂️
Gareth Southgate doesn't understand why #ThreeLions fans booed Jordan Henderson at Wembley! pic.twitter.com/eeU47FmsO4— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 14, 2023
Speaking to the media after his side's victory over Australia, Southgate chose to focus on Henderson's footballing ability, sweeping the human rights issues at play somewhat under the rug:
He's a player who I think has 79 caps now for England. His commitment and what he has delivered for England is exceptional. His role within the group on and off the pitch is phenomenally important.
He's the one that has taken the likes of Jude Bellingham under his wing, as soon as he came into the squad. He provides a brilliant role model for the rest of the group in his professionalism and his approach to every part of his work.
Some people decided to boo, I really don't understand what that is for. We've got players in England shirts...come on, we play Italy here on Tuesday, let's get behind this team.
It was a disappointing response from Southgate, who must know full well why so many have taken issue with Henderson's choice to move to the Saudi Pro League.
Of course, Southgate cannot be expected to throw one of his players under the bus but, when the cause for dismay is so abundantly clear as it is in this case, his facade of ignorance to the issues at hand is something of a slap in the face to LGBTQ+ football fans.
It is unlikely that Henderson will start in Monday's EURO 2024 qualifier against Italy, given Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham will both likely come into the side alongside James Maddison.
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