Jordan Henderson post-Liverpool misery continues after Ajax drop him for important match

Since opting to leave Liverpool last July, it's been far from a smooth road for Jordan Henderson. While his former side celebrate winning their first trophy of the season, things don't seem to be getting easier for the 33-year-old in this new chapter of his career.

Henderson faced heavy backlash, particularly from the LGBTQ+ community, after it was announced that he had signed for Al-Ettifaq as part of Saudi Arabia's huge recruitment drive. He insisted he had no regrets over his decision and that the Middle East having 'someone like myself, with the values that I have is only a good thing'.

However, Henderson pushed for a way out of the Saudi Pro League after just six months as he struggled to adapt to his new life, despite being reunited with former teammates Steven Gerrard and Georginio Wijnaldum. His eventual switch to Ajax was highly documented and the ex-Liverpool skipper faced even further criticism.

Since his move to the Dutch capital, things haven't gotten any easier for Henderson. The struggling Ajax have not won any of the three games that he has featured in and during their latest meeting with top four rivals AZ Alkmaar, he was dropped from the starting 11.

Ajax are currently fifth in the Eredivisie table and have not registered a single win this month. In their previous game against NEC, Henderson took on the armband in the absence of both Steven Bergwijn and his vice captain Steven Berghuis. But just a week after captaining his side, John van't Schip opted for a tactical change in his line-up and demoted Henderson to the bench — he was not brought on as a substitute.

"That is simply a very important match for us in the battle for fourth place," the manager said prior to the fixture. "We know what is at stake, but for now it is important to see which players we will start with."

As Liverpool continue their Carabao Cup celebrations and look to add more silverware to this season's tally, Henderson's Ajax are struggling to keep up with the pack at the top of the tree. The record 36-time league winners are currently six points drift of the top four and their defeat to direct rivals AZ has only made this uphill battle even more difficult.