Reaction to Jordan Henderson's first game back in England is incredibly telling after Gareth Southgate call-up

Jordan Henderson received a hostile reception against Aston Villa as he played his first game in England since his Liverpool departure.

Henderson joined Ajax in January after his Al Ettifaq contract was mutually terminated.

He's endured a turbulent six months since leaving Liverpool, but he has been included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

Henderson returned to English soil last night as Ajax faced Villa in their Europa Conference League tie.

But his side succumbed to Unai Emery's team as the Premier League club ran out 4-0 winners at Villa Park.

Goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby secured Villa's spot in the next round of the competition.

During the clash, Henderson was targeted by the home fans as they made their feelings known.

He was booed every time he got on the ball and was subject to taunts from the Holte End.

"It was not our night"

Ajax captain Jordan Henderson discusses his tough return to a Premier League ground 💭#UECL | 🎙️ @J_Dyer_Official pic.twitter.com/RrNHvdSh9H

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 14, 2024

Asked about the frosty reception, Henderson said: "It doesn't affect me, no. This is football. Aston Villa is a fantastic club, great fans. I wish them all the best."

On the result, the 33-year-old added "Tough game. It is hard to stand here and put it into words straight after the game. We were beaten quite easily in the end. I felt we could cause them problems and then we concede a second, which was poor from us, then it is tough from that point to get the game back.

"Injuries and everything seemed to go wrong from then. If we'd kept it at 1-0 for a bit longer I felt we could've hurt them but we're well beaten in the end."

Henderson will make a swift return to England having been named in Southgate's squad for this month's games.

Ajax, meanwhile, return to action on Sunday when they travel to Sparta Rotterdam.