Jordan Henderson shares an update on his scary injury during the unexpected Norway vs England match.
Jordan Henderson surprised everyone by showing up ahead of England’s quarter-final against Norway — and even took part in ITV’s pre-match player interview!
He was expected to miss the rest of the World Cup after breaking his wrist while celebrating England’s 3-2 win over Mexico in the last 16. The Brentford midfielder slipped while climbing over the advertising boards and fell hard on his arm.
His dad, Brian, told the Daily Mail the injury was pretty bad, saying his arm was “completely smashed.” They even brought in a surgeon who’s worked on similar injuries for NFL players. Henderson was taken to a hospital in Mexico City right away, where he got oxygen and was carried off on a stretcher.
After that, he went back to England’s base in Kansas City. Even with the broken wrist, he’s stayed with the team leading up to the big match against Norway in Miami — and he’s actually on the matchday squad!
During the ITV interview with Gabriel Clarke, Henderson talked about what happened and how he ended up in Miami. He said, “It’s okay, thanks [to my arm]. Not my best moment, I know! But our main goal was to win and get through to the quarter-finals, and that’s what we did.”
He added, “It’s been a tough few days, but coming back to camp and seeing the lads really helped. We have a great medical team, and the doctors and surgeons in Kansas were amazing — I’m really thankful. I’m just happy to be part of the squad today.”
When asked about facing Norway in the quarter-final, Henderson said, “We showed our resilience and character in the last game, overcoming a lot of challenges. We’ll need to do the same against a strong Norwegian team. They’re tough, but if we play our best, I’m confident we can win.”
As for whether he can still play if England move on, Henderson laughed, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
In fact, Henderson’s recovery means he’s listed on the substitutes’ bench for the game against Norway. Usually, injured players are on the bench just for paperwork reasons, but England made it clear on their website that Henderson is part of the travelling squad in Miami.
Whether he can actually get on the pitch is another story. A broken wrist usually takes 4 to 8 weeks to heal, depending on how bad it is. Henderson was seen during warm-ups wearing what looked like a white cast and watched training from the sidelines on Friday.
He might be able to play with a cast, but that depends on advice from the England doctors and specialists.