England midfielder Jordan Henderson pledged to support Ben White after the Arsenal defender was booed during Friday’s friendly against Uruguay.
White was jeered by England fans when he came on as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 draw at Wembley before hearing more boos after scoring his side’s late opener.
The 28-year-old capped a chaotic cameo when he conceded a stoppage-time penalty converted by Uruguay captain Federico Valverde.
White was making his first England appearance since he walked out of the 2022 World Cup squad due to “personal reasons”.
He then made himself unavailable for selection for the rest of Gareth Southgate’s reign as Three Lions boss.
England’s current manager Thomas Tuchel has given White a “second chance”, but the right-back discovered the fans were less forgiving when he was introduced as Fikayo Tomori’s replacement on Friday.
Henderson knows how it feels to feel the ire of the Wembley crowd, after he was booed following an ill-fated move to Saudi Arabia, which earned him criticism given his previous support of the LGBTQ+ community.
“As team-mates we are always there to support. A lot of the fans will be in support of all of the players,” the Brentford midfielder said.
“I have been through it myself, but that is part and parcel of being an England player.
“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.
“Not many people know the ins and outs of what happened in Qatar and it is for us to deal with internally.”
Henderson, who captained England against Uruguay while Harry Kane rested, said White has been welcomed back into the squad after Tuchel told the defender to explain his self-imposed exile to them.
And, with England hosting Japan in another friendly on Tuesday, former Liverpool star Henderson agreed it is up to the rest of the squad to help White cope with the Wembley abuse.
“Ben has been good since he came back in and we will support him as team-mates,” Henderson said.
“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, 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.
“I was delighted he got on and got a goal, which is the most important thing.”
AFP
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