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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

'I hope not' - Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson addresses retirement claims as World Cup decision approaches

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has dismissed suggestions he will retire from international football after the World Cup.

Henderson is part of the Three Lions squad for the UEFA Nations League games against Italy on Friday and Germany next Tuesday having recovered from a hamstring issue that ruled him out of the Reds' last three games.

The 32-year-old has previously featured in five international tournaments and is hopeful of being part of Gareth Southgate's 26-man party for the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year.

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But the midfielder, who trained with his country on Thursday morning, does not want his potential forthcoming outing in a major tournament for his country to be his last.

"I hope not,” said Henderson. “I still feel good. I wouldn’t look too far ahead – I don’t think there is any need to – but it is another huge opportunity.

“I look at some players still playing internationals at 36 and 37. So it just depends on how you feel physically and I feel very good. I think last season I played more games than anyone else in Europe. So physically it’s not an issue and I’m still excited being here with England.

“As a kid, one of my dreams was to play for England, my biggest dream. That will never change.”

Henderson made 62 appearances last season for club and country and featured six times for Liverpool before being struck by injury. But the Reds skipper believes his healthy approach to life is helping him maintain his fitness levels.

“I don’t know if I’m fitter than I was when I was 20 because I was pretty fit then," he said. "But I feel like I’m in such a good spot.

“I’ve never done that since I was a kid and always eaten the right things. It was always in me as a kid. I never wanted to go out drinking or doing anything like that. It was always football, football, football.

“If we go back to when I was starting my career, I was probably an exception. Whereas now when I look, I’d say the exception is to drink. A lot of players don’t drink in general. A lot of the Liverpool squad don’t drink.”

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