Jordan Henderson admits his Liverpool form was affected by the World Cup as he detailed the issues many players suffered due to the mid-season tournament.
Henderson was part of the England team that participated in Qatar in late November and December, scoring in the second round win over Senegal before the Three Lions were eliminated by eventual runners-up France in the quarter-finals.
The Reds midfielder was immediately thrust into the Liverpool first team on his return and posted a series of below-par performances that eventually saw him benched for a number of games towards the end of January.
Henderson, though, failed to start only three of the final 12 games of the campaign for Jurgen Klopp's side. And as he prepares for England's Euro 2024 qualifying double header at Malta on Friday and against North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday, the Liverpool skipper is confident he has come through a testing period.
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"It took a lot out of me this season, I can't lie," he said. "Probably after the World Cup was the toughest period. In January and February my energy levels were quite low for me, and those are a big part of who I am, having a lot of energy on the training field and around. I felt as though that sort of dipped, especially in the New Year.
"It was a tough period but I felt as though I came out the other side of that. I felt a lot better by the last few months of the season and performances improved. And now I feel really good now having had a week or two training just on my own to be ready for this (England) camp. Physically and mentally I feel in good shape now. Hopefully from this point I can kick on again."
Henderson, who turns 33 on Saturday, believes having the World Cup in the middle of a domestic season - which was subsequently extended as a result due to a six-week break for the competition - had a negative impact on the club form of many players.
"This year took a lot out of me with the World Cup being in the middle but I think that was the same for a lot of players regardless of age," he said to the BBC's Football Daily podcast. "I have spoken to a lot of different players, younger players, who went to the World Cup, and they felt very similar to me in terms of how much it took out of them coming back from the World Cup.
"It's not just the physical aspect, it's the emotional stuff, the mental stuff that you go through in a World Cup. To come back a week later and try to perform is really difficult and never been done before. That was a new challenge and was tough period but I feel as though I've come out the other side of that."
Henderson also reiterated he had no thoughts of retiring from the international stage after Qatar and is keen to keep building on the 75 caps he has so far earned for his country.
"You'll know when you start not having an impact in the team and that's when you have the thoughts about what is best to do," he said. "For me I still love representing my country and want to do it for as long as possible. I still feel as though I have a big role ahead on and off the pitch. I really love it. Physically I have felt in really, really good shape (when with England), I don't think that's been an issue."
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