England midfielder Jordan Henderson rejoined The Three Lions at their World Cup training base Wednesday after undergoing surgery on his left wrist following a freak injury that he sustained while celebrating their Round of 16 triumph over Mexico last weekend.
The 36-year-old Henderson posted a photo on social media of his left arm wrapped after the procedure at the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, which is about a 10-minute drive from their team hotel in the suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas.
“Surgery done!” Henderson said. “Now let’s get ready for the big one Saturday.”
Henderson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup, had been an unused substitute for Sunday’s match against Mexico at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The Three Lions had just survived a 3-2 thriller to advance to a quarterfinal against Norway when Henderson hurt his wrist while climbing over an advertising billboard.
“I’m sad because Jordan injured his wrist,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said after the match. “It’s quite serious.”
Henderson was taken from the field on a stretcher and remained in Mexico City while the rest of England’s players returned to their base camp in Kansas City, Missouri. He later returned to the United States and underwent surgery on the wrist.
Henderson’s only World Cup appearance this year came in the group stage, when he came off the bench against Panama. It was his 91st career cap and made Henderson the first player from England to have appeared in four different tournaments.
“Time goes very quickly,” Henderson said that day in East Rutherford, N.J. “It’s very special to represent my country in four World Cups, so, yeah, I’m just delighted to be a part of this team. It’s still as special now as when I made my debut in 2010. Time goes quickly, but I’m just delighted that I can help the team as much as possible, both on and off the field, and just try and give everything I can to help us achieve our dreams, really.”
England failed to make it out of the group stage in 2014, lost to Belgium in the third-place match four years later, and fell to France in the quarterfinals four years ago in Qatar. The Three Lions’ only World Cup title remains their 1966 triumph over West Germany.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
