Former England midfielder Jill Scott has lamented Jordan Henderson's decision to move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson has been heavily criticised after swapping Liverpool for the Saudi Pro League, having previously been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
Scott, who is gay, spoke about Henderson during her role as pundit for Channel 4 in their coverage of England's Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine on Saturday evening.
- 'I know the truth, I know what happened - 99 per cent of it is untrue. I don't need to sit here and defend. You don’t know the information' angry Jordan Henderson confronts Dutch press over rumours
- ‘Leaving Liverpool wasn’t easy – I was very comfortable and had three years remaining on my deal, so I didn’t need to go. But I’m happy with my decision’: Former Reds midfielder opens up on swapping Anfield for Saudi Arabia
"In terms of the morals and values, I'm a really big jordan Henderson fan," she said. "He's a Sunderland lad and really hard-working.
"But for me, the fact that I couldn't go and watch him represent his team, that doesn't sit well with me.
"Football for me is for everyone and the fact that I don't feel like I would be welcome [to watch him play], that's a very sad situation."
Henderson, who had pledged his support to the LGBTQ+ community by wearing rainbow laces and a rainbow captain's armband, spoke last week about the criticism he has received.
"I think having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing," he told The Athletic.
"Not once have they said: 'You can do this, you can’t do this'. And I think it can only be a positive thing to try to open up like around Qatar. In the end, around Qatar, having a World Cup there shined a light on certain issues where I think in the end, I might be wrong, but they changed some rules and regulations to be able to host the World Cup and I think that’s positive.
"That's the way you try to create positive change. And I'm not saying that I can do that. I’m one person."
Read more
JORDAN HENDERSON Saudi interview smacked of a player with a bruised ego
'I was brainwashed by Guardiola, but in a good way. It was like I was at university': Ex-Manchester City star reveals genius of Pep
'Alejandro Garnacho has let his family down. He might be immature but he is not young anymore, it's a massive disappointment that he is not performing - he just seems like a Ronaldo fanboy' Ex Manchester United star launches astonishing rant at winger
