Former Al-Ettifaq assistant boss Ian Foster has praised Jordan Henderson’s professionalism despite reports the England midfielder is keen to return to the Premier League.
Henderson left Liverpool for the Saudi Pro League in the summer amid a wave of criticism for moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal given his previous support for the Rainbow Laces campaign.
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The 33-year-old maintained he was moving to grow the game in Saudi Arabia but reports over the weekend suggested he was struggling with the climate and the lifestyle and hankered after a move back to England.
Foster, recently named as the new head coach at Championship side Plymouth Argyle, said there were no indications Henderson was unsettled.
He told BBC Sport: “He’s immaculate in everything he does.
“From the the minute he walks into the football club to the minute he leaves – and he’s normally the first and last one in those instances – he is an example to all of us in his behaviours.
“It allows me to speak to the young players in the building and say ‘this is what elite behaviours look like, I’ve witnessed it from a player who’s captained his country at the highest level’.
“It does benefit you as a coach because you get to see what elite looks like.”
Henderson has been linked with Fulham, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, although a move to Tyneside would appear unlikely due to the player’s links to boyhood club Sunderland.
