England midfielder Jordan Henderson has spoken out against fans who booed Ben White when he was introduced in the 69th minute of the Three Lions’ 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley.
On Friday (27 March), Thomas Tuchel named a young starting XI which included debutants James Garner and James Trafford, while Henderson captained the side.
Meanwhile, White made his first England appearance since pulling out of the 2022 Qatar World Cup squad mid-tournament after a reported fallout with then England assistant coach Steve Holland.
The Arsenal defender was introduced with just over 20 minutes to play at Wembley with the score at 0-0 and was greeted by boos from some sections of the Three Lions faithful.
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And fittingly, he opened the scoring just 12 minutes later, registering his first international goal in the process.
However, the evening ended in a negative fashion for the 28-year-old, who gave away a penalty in second-half stoppage time before Real Madrid’s Fede Valverde converted from 12 yards to secure a draw for the South Americans.
Following the match, England boss Tuchel voiced his defence of White while saying he was “disappointed”.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the German said: “I heard that he was booed.
“It cannot be the majority. There were some boos and some mixed reception for him which I’m disappointed about because of course we protect our players. He was excellent in camp and he deserved to come on. He got us almost a winner.
“But I also understood that it happened to other players before here. So he needs to take it on the chin. We will always protect him and hopefully we can put it behind, because he is ready to write some new chapters.”
Comments from Henderson, who captained England last night, have since emerged with the midfielder claiming that “some of the fans probably don't even know why they are booing.”
“They listen to what is being said in the media, and a lot of the time what the media says isn't true,” Henderson said.
“Not many people know the ins and outs of what happened in Qatar and it is for us to deal with internally. Ben has been good since he came back in and we will support him as team-mates.”
Henderson was previously booed by England fans after his opinion-dividing move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in July 2023.
“A few of us have been there, it is difficult when it is you, but you have to try not to take it too personally,” Henderson continued.
“The media can spin things in certain ways, which isn't always the truth and then fans can pick up on that and think it is the truth.
“It is really difficult when that happens, so it is important for us to make sure he is OK, which I am sure he is.”
England return to action at home against Japan on 31 March.
Topics: England, Ben White, Jordan Henderson, Football, Thomas Tuchel
Luke Davies