England midfielder must inspire a young and underachieving squad if he is to help Dutch club become a force in Europe once again
No small task awaits Jordan Henderson at Ajax. The England midfielder and former Liverpool captain must become the leader and inspiration of a mostly young, unbalanced and heavily criticised team.
This is a side who were knocked out of the Dutch Cup less than a month ago by opponents, USV Hercules, who do not even play at the highest amateur level. Ajax, by far the wealthiest club in the Netherlands and successful in the Champions League between 2018 and 2022, slumped to the bottom of the table in late October and are now fifth, nine points from the top three places that would entitle them to elite European football next season.