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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Richards

Jordan Henderson only England training absentee ahead of UEFA Nations League semi-final

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was the only absentee from England training as they prepare for their UEFA Nations League semi-final against Holland.

The Three Lions trained at St George's Park for the final time on Wednesday morning, before flying out to Portugal.

Henderson, who played the full 90 minutes in Saturday's Champions League Final, is currently following an individual training programme and worked away from the rest of Gareth Southgate's squad.

His participation against the Dutch in Guimaraes is in doubt, although Southgate still hopes to have a player he says 'sets the standard' available.

Henderson and his Liverpool teammates have linked up with the squad (Eddie Keogh for The FA/REX)

"To have a player like Jordan really sets the standard for what we do," Southgate told ESPN FC.

"How he prepares for training, how he prepares for matches and the way he lives his life in general - he doesn't just do his role perfectly, he has a positive impact on others to do the same.

Southgate was all smiles as his side trained (PA)

"You can't have too many of those players as a manager. He has an incredible range of passing, he is intelligent in the way he presses the ball, which is a huge part of the way Liverpool play and he is an excellent crosser of the ball.

"Henderson is a responsible player: he is tactically aware when another player goes out of position, he covers across. It's more than just his personal attributes and work-rate, his technical qualities are important."

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling is poised to win his 50th cap on Thursday and could captain the side, with Harry Kane's place in question.

Will Jadon Sancho start in Portugal? (PA)
Kane was all smiles (PA)

The Three Lions skipper made his return from 55 days on the sideline in Spurs' 2-0 loss in Madrid, but cut a forlorn figure at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Both Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson are ready to deputise in attack, with the Manchester United striker likely to get the nod centrally if Kane isn't deemed 100 per cent.

That would also allow Jadon Sancho to potentially start, although the Dortmund star will have to settle for a place on the bench if Kane makes it, with Rashford reverting to the left side.

Rashford is aiming for glory (PA)

Rashford insists England are heading to Portugal to win the trophy, and won't be happy with anything less.

“There are signs we are heading in the right direction,” he says. “Before the World Cup, we were winning games and playing good football but when it came to games against the big teams - the elite nations we want to be amongst - we fell short a couple of times.

“But in this last year we have played Spain and Croatia and managed to get over the line. It shows we are improving.

“The World Cup was the start of a journey, rather than the end of an adventure. Because since then we have kicked on. We’ve changed the system but have kicked on.”

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