Former Liverpool captain 'didn't feel wanted from minute one'

Jordan Henderson’s career has gone off the rails since he left Liverpool in summer 2023.

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The Premier League and Champions League-winning Liverpool captain departed for the riches on offer in the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq.

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That short, unhappy spell in the Kingdom came to an end when he joined Ajax in January 2024. Henderson however has been under intense scrutiny in Amsterdam since his arrival.

He has been frequently linked with the exit - first to Rangers and Sunderland and more lately with Monaco.

It is believed the ex-Red wanted a move to the Principality in the January transfer window with Henderson forced to defend himself in front of an intense media pack last week.

Now Ajax technical director Alex Kroes has confirmed that a move to Monaco was discussed but that the midfielder ultimately opted to stay at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Henderson has 'not felt wanted'

Moreover, the director claimed that Henderson has been undervalued in the Netherlands from the get-go, adding that the criticism has begun to ‘eat away’ at the former England international.

"They came forward at some point to take over Jordan and I said from the very first moment: 'No, thank you, good luck with it,” Kroes told club channels in quotes picked up by De Telegraaf.

“We are not letting him go. Period.' Fortunately, he just stayed.”

He added that Henderson had remained committed to Ajax "by always giving everything on the field and also in training." However Kroes hit out at Henderson’s critics, who declared him to be a waste of money.

These are uncertain times for Ajax, whose financial outlook remains bleak, and the club offloaded eight players in the January window.

"What has been going on with Jordan is that he has not felt wanted at Ajax from minute one,” Kroes admitted. “That is not because of me, the trainer, the management or the people around him. But in the Netherlands, everyone always has an opinion about something.

“And with him, the label 'far too expensive' was put on him far too quickly. At some point, that also starts to eat away at a person.

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“That is a great shame, because his value to Ajax is more than enormous. He did not have to apologize to me, he just has to do his job, as he did. No, he did not apologize."

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