Gareth Southgate's comments on England selection policy are blurred by former Liverpool captain's inclusion

Gareth Southgate's comments on former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson following his inclusion in the England squad are certainly baffling after his poor start to life at Ajax.

Henderson, who played 492 times for Liverpool, was a key figure under Jurgen Klopp in midfield as their leader and he left the club after 12 years in the summer and departed in a shock deal to the Saudi Pro League, where he played under Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq before then opting to quit mid-season and take up a new home at Ajax.

Henderson, who has been a favourite for Southgate in the England squad over the years, was selected controversially in October despite his appearance in a league that has been ranked below the MLS in terms of quality and depth of ability (According to the Opta Power Rankings). Of course, years of service and reliability were valid reasons to be chosen but it certainly goes against Kalvin Phillips' recent comments, who claimed when he asked Southgate for advice on which club to move to for minutes to earn his place in the squad, that Serie A wouldn't be the best option, "Gareth told me he wasn't going to tell me what to do, but said the Premier League is a lot more difficult and competitive than Serie A."

Even the Eredivise is classed outside of Europe's top five leagues, so why does that stop players in the Premier League, or Serie A for that matter, from being selected? Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley, for example, are two players thriving this season and are in infinitely better form than Henderson, who is certainly past his best. But his most recent comments are the most laughable in terms of defending Henderson. "He has had a big influence on Ajax since he's been there and I know they are very happy with him." Since making his first appearance, they've won two out of 10 games and only one of those came with him in the side.

He's also come out to say he 'regrets' the Saudi move but despite Southgate's hypocritical claims about Serie A not being good enough for Phillips, Henderson has been picked again and is on course to be picked for the upcoming European Championships. The axe to grind from fans derives from the fact that this extremely exciting side, considered favourites alongside France, will have to accommodate the 33-year-old who wasn't even in the Liverpool side at the end of his time at Anfield within this new 'golden generation'.

It also takes away from players in great form; players with great redemption arcs such as Barkley and Loftus-Cheek, who have both been brilliant for wholly different reasons at Luton Town and AC Milan and have come back from career adversity who could make a huge impact off the bench. And this insistence on Henderson, whose time has clearly come to an end, could cost England if he's thrown on in a key knockout tie - and if it does, it could sour the Southgate era.