Jordan Henderson had his sleeves rolled up after hearing the comments made by his former manager Roy Keane at the weekend. It was not that he was looking for a fight; he just wanted to prove to the ITV pundit that he had nothing hidden up there.
England's Jordan Henderson has responded to Roy Keane's comments (Image: GETTY)
“But for me all my focus has been on the last couple of months is working as hard as I possibly can to be in a position where I can contribute in the tournament and I'm very thankful I'm in that position now.”
The central area of midfield is going to be a key area with Luka Modric still the main asset in the Croatia side but even by then Henderson feels he will be ready for a game of “Chase the Ace”.
“You probably wouldn't know, but I've trained for a long time,” Henderson said. “When everyone was off I continued to work on my own and then picked up training with England again.
“That period has been really good for me, the intensity has stepped up the last few weeks. I feel really good and hopefully I can be ready whenever called upon.”
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Unfortunately, his second half performance against Romania on Sunday will always be remembered for the way he snatch the ball off Dominic Calvert-Lewin only to miss his spot kick.
“It looks like I have either got to practise, or maybe just leave it to people that can actually score them,” he said. “It's probably the best option.
“I’ve always had confidence and, listen, you miss penalties, it can happen, a lot of players have missed them.
“I’ll continue to practise them and if I need to take one I need to make sure I’m ready because you never know what can happen, especially going into a tournament, as we saw last time with the penalty shootout.
Jordan Henderson has spent a long period sidelined through injury (Image: GETTY)
“All you can do is keep practising and be ready when ever that time comes again.