Revealed: How Jordan Henderson won over Thomas Tuchel with a 15-minute phone call ahead of shock England return... as Three Lions boss admits it made 'so much sense' to recall him

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Jordan Henderson took just 15 minutes to convince Thomas Tuchel that England needed to call him back into the international fold before their new dawn kicks off on Friday.

The Ajax midfielder was not initially in Tuchel’s immediate plans after the German took over at the turn of the year but the new boss was lobbied by staff to make contact.

The pair spoke in January and Henderson’s mindset won Tuchel over ahead of last week’s surprise recall, the manager believing the 34-year-old’s leadership ability will prove crucial to the squad.

‘I talked to players, I talked to staff, I talk to people in the federation – his name came up constantly so it was not my idea initially from day one,’ Tuchel said.

‘But it made so much sense, to then call him up because his name was in the discussions all the time.

‘I called him up and I have to say, after this phone call for 15-20 minutes six weeks ago, I was pretty convinced that I need this guy in camp.’

Jordan Henderson convinced Thomas Tuchel to recall him in a 15-minute phone conversation

England boss Tuchel admitted it made 'so much sense' to recall the former Liverpool captain

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford described the decision as a ‘great move’ on Wednesday

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Henderson was dropped from the Euro 2024 squad last summer following a move to Saudi Arabia and hasn’t featured for the Three Lions side November 2023.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford described the decision as a ‘great move’ on Wednesday and Tuchel believes he has seen enough in Ajax matches to indicate the former Liverpool captain can still operate at the highest level.

‘He embodies everything,’ he added. ‘He’s a serial winner. His personality, character. He is the glue in every team he has played in and he will be the glue that makes things special.

‘I’m convinced and when the teacher is convinced normally in school, the class gets better. If the teacher is convinced about the quality of the class, the character of the class, it’s better than the other way around.’