Henderson: I'm wheely up for the Cup

JORDAN HENDERSON wants to be the driving force behind England's bid for World Cup glory - after taking an 800-mile round trip in a van to watch the final of Euro 2024.

- SIMON MULLOCK

Henderson, who will celebrate his 36th birthday when the tournament is being staged in Canada, Mexico and the USA next year, was a shock inclusion in Thomas Tuchel's first Three Lions squad for the qualifying double headers against Albania and Latvia.

He was devastated to be omitted from Gareth Southgate's selection for the Euros in Germany 18 months ago after cutting short a lucrative contract in the Saudi Pro League to join Dutch giants Ajax in a bid to strengthen his claims.

Henderson was so desperate to be in on the action that he hired a van to drive his family from Amsterdam to Berlin - only to see England fall at the final hurdle, against Spain.

"I felt I'd played a part in the qualifying campaign because I was in every squad right up until the Euros," said the former Liverpool midfielder.