It’s only taken six months, but it appears that former Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, can’t get out of Saudi Arabia quick enough.
At the time he moved to the Pro League there was a lot of noise given his previously stated views, though the 33-year-old attempted to explain why a move there was a positive one in an extensive interview with The Athletic (subscription required).
That may have been the absolute truth or attempt at PR spin and damage limitation, but whatever the real reasons, his world has come crashing down far too quickly.
Al Ettifaq have been poor under another Liverpool stalwart, Steven Gerrard, having not won a match since October, per WhoScored.
That’s left them in eighth place in the league and 28 points behind leaders, Al Hilal, who they play in two games time.
According to Graeme Souness, speaking on the White and Jordan show on talkSPORT, the side’s poor form coupled with the Saudi climate and the lack of atmosphere in stadiums that are barely populated, are all reasons why Henderson could be, apparently, eager to return to the Premier League.
Quite how he will be received back in the English top-flight if he’s able to engineer a move there isn’t clear, and he will have a lot of explaining to do.