Jordan Henderson insisted England will be ready for the heat in the World Cup. Henderson, who turns 36 on the day England face Croatia on June 17, says they will be prepared for the temperatures, climate and demands in the United States this summer.
England boss Thomas Tuchel has organised a 12 day pre-tournament camp with training taking place at the luxurious Palm Beach Gardens Tennis and Pickleball Centre – where Portugal will be based for the World Cup after Real Madrid used it last year at the Club World Cup.
England trained on two immaculate pitches in 32 degree heat for 70 minutes on Tuesday and will also play friendlies with New Zealand and Costa Rica in Tampa and Orlando. WAGs, families and friends have been invited out with 15 players flying in from Birmingham on Monday with the rest either joining up after holidaying nearby.
They flew into Miami – which is about 75 miles away – and were immediately greeted by a biblical storm while the sun beat down during training only for dark storm clouds to gather immediately after they finished. It is supposed to be a mix of relaxing and also hard training in Florida to prepare for the World Cup which will be a challenge for European teams because of the different climate.
Henderson said: “It’s important to build your capacity for these conditions. It’s hard to really adapt when you’re playing all over. But this week is about building that capacity, to get used to the heat a little bit. The games will be good to get that exposure. We’ve got an amazing team behind the team, having researched how to cool down, recover, and that sort of stuff.
“So that’s top level and hopefully that can give us a little edge as well when we get into the tournament. But it’s the same for everyone. So we’ve just got to go and try to just concentrate on the football.” Henderson was probably fortunate to squeeze into the squad after missing a chunk of the season through injury before returning at the end.
View 3 ImagesThe countdown is on for Henderson and England’s players ahead of their opener vs Croatia on June 17(Image: Getty Images)
But Henderson says he is relishing going to his fourth World Cup and is determined to embrace the challenge and try to deliver the trophy. He added: “To do that, we’ll have to be on it every day. We have to be ready to sacrifice for each other. It’s exciting, but there’s a lot of work to be done and we’re looking forward to getting going.
“We have to be ready to do all the invisible work, as the gaffer says, and be there to support each other because we all know the talent the squad has and what we can do and how we can hurt teams.
“I’m very honoured and lucky to have this opportunity. But it’s the same as always, to be the best version of myself, to be ready to help the team, on and off the pitch, and just give absolutely everything to help this team be successful in the tournament.
View 3 ImagesEngland’s players are getting used to the soaring temperatures in Florida(Image: Getty Images)
“Everybody knows what England means to me, because I’ve represented my country for my whole career. But I’ve worked very hard for the last few years to be in this position. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices and I’m very grateful to be here and be a part of it.”
Article continues below
England’s Arsenal quartet of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke will join up before the first friendly with New Zealand on Saturday. Crystal Palace keeper Dean Henderson arrives on Wednesday after all five were given extra time off after respective European finals.
Alex Scott, Josh King, Rio Ngumoha and Ethan Nwaneri have joined up as training players to make up the numbers with Jason Steele also acting as a fourth keeper for training purposes even though he is not in the squad. Only Scott can be promoted to the squad if there is an injury because he was in the provisional 55-man list given to FIFA and you have to be on that to be promoted to the final 26.