FOOTBALL..1* POLITICS...0

Skippers Henderson and Maguire lead the way as stars prove class

- JEREMY CROSS

A WEEK can be a very long time in football – just ask Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

He has spent the last seven days learning a harsh lesson about Premier League footballers.

And let’s hope he now realises that some people can be too quick to judge a profession they know little about.

The likes of Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire might be millionaires but they are working-class lads brought up in modest homes in Sunderland and Sheffield by good, honest people who know right from wrong.

Hancock’s initial perception of them and their fellow top-flight pros has been turned upside down as the duo have led a campaign involving all 20 Premier League captains to launch the ‘Players Together’ initiative to help raise millions for the NHS.

But while politicians and other critics savaged them for their apparent unwillingness to help, nothing much changed for those footballers involved.

All they did was get together to prove what many already knew – donating to worthwhile causes is second nature.