Jordan Henderson has insisted that England must be prepared to make sacrifices if they are to win the World Cup this summer. The 35-year-old midfielder, who will turn 36 on the day England face Croatia in their opening group match on June 17, is heading into his fourth World Cup with the national team.
Speaking from England's pre-tournament camp in Florida, Henderson stressed the importance of adapting to the heat and conditions. The squad is training at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis and Pickleball Centre, where temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius during a 70-minute session on Tuesday. "It's important to build your capacity for these conditions," Henderson said. "This week is about building that capacity, to get used to the heat a little bit."
England boss Thomas Tuchel has organised a 12-day camp in Florida, which includes friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Tampa and Orlando. Henderson acknowledged the challenge posed by the climate for European teams but expressed confidence in the team's preparation. "We've got an amazing team behind the team, having researched how to cool down, recover, and that sort of stuff," he added.
Henderson, who missed part of the season through injury before returning at the end, said he is relishing the opportunity to represent his country at a fourth World Cup. "To do that, we'll have to be on it every day. We have to be ready to sacrifice for each other," he said. "We have to be ready to do all the invisible work, as the gaffer says, and be there to support each other."
The England squad is gradually assembling in Florida, with Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke expected to join before the first friendly on Saturday. Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson arrives on Wednesday, while training players Alex Scott, Josh King, Rio Ngumoha and Ethan Nwaneri have been called up to make up numbers.
