It's fair to say that Jordan Henderson's season has not gone to plan up to this point.
The Englishman came in for some heavy criticism after his decision to leave Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq, with many pointing out the hypocrisy of an apparent ally of the LGBTQ+ community moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. Of course, he claimed he did not move for the money, but instead to 'grow the game' in the Middle East.
He swiftly followed this up by demanding to leave Saudi Arabia only six months later. He must have grown the game pretty quickly.
A number of clubs were interested in signing him, although a few eyebrows were raised when he eventually ended up at Ajax. After all, the Dutch club was known for their youth policy and are not usually associated for moves with aging and expensive players.
It is likely that the deal was driven by desperation on their part, with Ajax currently in the midst of one of their worst seasons in recent memory. They clearly felt that an addition with the experience and leadership qualities of Henderson could make a big difference on the pitch.
That has not been the case just yet.
READ HERE: An XI Of Players Who Didn't Get A Fair Crack With Ireland
Van der Vaart hammers Jordan Henderson over Ajax start
Jordan Henderson has yet to experience victory in an Ajax shirt, with the club failing to win in each of his four appearances up to this point.
That has already led to some criticism of the signing, including from former Spurs and Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
Speaking on Ziggo Sport, the Dutchman slammed the decision to bring in Henderson and gave a damning summary of his contributions on the pitch.
Ajax have brought in players with zero quality. The club will now have to see out the rest of the season.
They have brought in Jordan Henderson. All he does is to play a little pass out wide, or a little pass back. But nobody will be happy with that.
You'll see on Thursday that they will get through their Conference League tie against Bodo/Glimt with all the luck in the world.
Afterwards it's best for them to get knocked out, and to make a fresh start next season.
Pretty damning.
Ajax currently sit in fifth place in the Eredivisie table, a massive 26 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven. They are also in danger of crashing out of the Europa League, having drawn 2-2 in the home leg of their tie against Bodo/Glimt. They even required two stoppage time goals to earn the draw, one of which was a penalty.
They will be hoping that Jordan Henderson can help them steady the ship over the coming weeks.
SEE ALSO: 6 Candidates FAI Should Consider To Save Disastrous Ireland Manager Search
