While living in Saudi Arabia, Jordan Henderson couldn’t bring himself to watch any Premier League football, especially Liverpool games, as he adjusted to the drastic lifestyle change, a new league, and the oppressive climate.

Describing the emptiness he felt after leaving Anfield following a 12-year stint, the England midfielder likens it to retreating into comfort, akin to donning a dressing gown, grabbing a duvet, and reaching for a chocolate bar.

‘It felt like a break-up,’ he says. ‘Really tough. It had been my life for so long and then it is just gone like that.’

Having joined Al-Ettifaq just two years prior, after being persuaded by manager Steven Gerrard, Henderson only managed to fulfill six months of his lucrative £350,000-a-week contract, where wages were delayed for tax purposes.

Once an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, his move severely damaged his reputation, and despite the geographical distance, the criticism was unavoidable. Even after transferring to Ajax five months before the European Championship, Gareth Southgate did not select him, prompting the former Liverpool captain to rent a luxury van with a driver to travel with his family from the Netherlands to attend the final in Berlin.

Henderson asserts, ‘I don’t think missing the Euros was due to that decision. During my time in Saudi, I was present in every camp leading up to the Euros. But reflecting, I might have chosen differently.’

‘At that moment, however, my decision arose from numerous reasons, and only I fully understand them. Ultimately, I aimed to choose what seemed right.’

Ajax reignited some passion, some belonging, and Henderson hopes more performances for Brentford like his in slender defeat by Manchester City on Sunday can force a way into Thomas Tuchel’s preferred starting XI. Four appearances under Tuchel so far, one of them a start, with Henderson’s experience – and perhaps close bond with Jude Bellingham – seen as key qualities the veteran can offer heading into the World Cup.

The 35-year-old bristles at those suggestions, the narrative that Tuchel has consistently picked him for aspects other than his ability as a central midfielder.

‘I have shown what I can do for England over the years,’ he says. ‘I am still playing at a high level. Outside, people can think what they want. The most important people are the manager, the coaching staff and the players and what they think.

‘Ask them what they think, if I am a cheerleader when I am here. I don’t think one of the best managers in Europe would be choosing me just to do that. If I have to speak to younger players, that should be a given, really. It is natural that the older you get, the more experienced you are, of course you want to pass on those experiences to younger players coming into camp.’

So to Bellingham. Somebody whose absence for this month’s internationals has stolen more focus than the actual games, a friendly against Wales and World Cup qualifier in Latvia. Bellingham wanted to join the group after returning from shoulder surgery for Real Madrid in recent weeks – albeit with only one start – but Tuchel took a different outlook, explaining he was keeping broadly the same group as September.

Bellingham’s influence in the dressing room, the long shadow of his parents and the midfielder’s on-pitch attitude are all reasonable debating points around the country’s finest footballer. In Henderson, he has an ally, the pair clicking immediately when Bellingham made his debut five years ago this month. Henderson presented him his cap before a friendly against Austria at the Riverside and is also somebody who has been known to become exuberant on the pitch.

‘Maybe that’s why I get booed a lot!’ Henderson laughs. ‘For players, the perception outside… those outside don’t know, do you know what I mean?

‘The players know what Jude is like as a person and as a player. He is a world-class player and a world-class person, and he makes the England team even better because of the type of player that he is. He has got an elite mentality.

‘He is very special. We have a few special players in this squad, to be fair. But with Jude, I think we all knew he was a very special player when he first came into the squad.

‘The way he trains, the way he lives his life around football, loves the game, wants to improve and there is the ability that he has on the pitch.

‘He has been injured for a good few months. I know what he is like, he will be focused on his football, focused on making sure that he is as fit as possible, so when he returns he is flying.’