Ally McCoist insists Jordan Henderson would not get into the Scotland starting XI on current form. The midfielder is still a regular for England but McCoist says that wouldn’t be the case under Steve Clarke.

Henderson keen to help grow Saudi game as England ambitions remain

Henderson’s inclusion in the recent England squad caused controversy for two reasons. LGBTQ+ supporter groups are not happy that the former Liverpool captain has moved to play in Saudi Arabia.

Henderson has previously been a big supporter of LGBTQ+ rights but is now playing in a country that criminalises homosexuality. Footballing reasons were also in question, with the standard of the Saudi Pro League still well behind the Premier League despite an influx of big signings in the summer.

Gareth Southgate ignored outside noise and picked Henderson in his squad, starting him in Saturday’s 1-1 Euro 2024 qualifying draw against Ukraine. England play Scotland in a friendly at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

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The Three Lions are fourth in the FIFA men’s rankings, 26 places ahead of their opponents. But despite Henderson still remaining a regular starter for England, McCoist says that wouldn’t be the case if he played for Scotland.

John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Callum McGregor and Billy Gilmour all started in Scotland’s 3-0 win over Cyprus last Friday. McCoist says Henderson would not displace any of those players.

Asked if Henderson would start for Scotland, McCoist told talkSPORT: “That’s a great question, I hope Jordan’s not listening. No, he’s not getting in it.

“Our midfield and left side of defence are the strongest areas of the team with all due respect. I think we’ve got better forwards than we’ve had before but not at the elite level.

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“I think defensively we’re far better than we’ve been but perhaps not at the elite level and I think our strongest part of the team is midfield and left central defence obviously with [Kieran] Tierney and [Andy] Robertson.

“I’m struggling to leave any of them out right now at this moment in time. Clearly Jordan Henderson would get games for Scotland, there’s no doubt about it. But right now in current form, I’m struggling to leave any of those four boys out.”

McCoist’s verdict on Henderson may be a message to Southgate that perhaps he needs to look to find a long-term replacement for the 33-year-old. Henderson has won 78 caps for his country but Euro 2024 would likely be his final tournament if he does make the cut.

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