Jordan Henderson has not played for Liverpool since picking up a groin injury against Everton last month; ahead of rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament this summer, Gareth Southgate insists a decision over whether the Liverpool captain will make the England squad is a few weeks away
Saturday 27 March 2021 14:46, UK
Gareth Southgate admitted Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to be fit for this year's European Championship as the Liverpool captain continues his recovery from a groin injury.
Henderson underwent groin surgery last month after picking up the injury in Liverpool's 2-0 Premier League defeat by Merseyside rivals Everton on February 20 and was expected to be sidelined for at least five weeks.
But the 30-year-old could be out for much longer, casting doubt over his availability for the Euros which are scheduled to begin in June.
"We know it's going to be close to the end of the season and we will just have to see how it goes," Southgate said. "We are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a guide and a time defined but that anything can happen along the way.
"In terms of promises, we can only say that Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis that the specialist has given him as to what is possible.
"We also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games. There are a lot of things to take into consideration but, at the moment, that is a decision that is a few weeks away."
Henderson has 58 caps for England and was a key member of Southgate's side that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Nick Pope is set to be given more chances to stake his claim as England's first-choice goalkeeper ahead of the European Championship - with Southgate confirming he will play in the next two World Cup qualifiers on Sunday and Wednesday.
Jordan Pickford has been established as Southgate's number one for some time but has missed out on the ongoing international triple-header with an abdominal injury.
That left Pope and Dean Henderson vying for the gloves for the qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
The rescheduled Euro 2020 is next up on the international calendar and Pope looks in pole position to challenge Pickford for a place between the posts.
The Burnley stopper played in Thursday's 5-0 win over San Marino, taking his run of clean sheets to five in five for England, and Southgate revealed he is set to keep his spot for the next two fixtures.
