Jordan Henderson has found it hard settling into Saudi Arabia, as it has been tough acclimatizing to football in that region.
Henderson burst into the Pro League looking like he was going to set the league ablaze with sublime performances.
However, Jordan Henderson was hot and cold in the game due to the climatic conditions surrounding Saudi Arabia but he looked like he was set to conquer a new territory.
The Englishman, who looks to be homesick assisted Al Ettifaq to a 2-1 victory over Al Nassr in his first game with the team.
Following his first match with the Pro League side, where he put in an impressive display, Henderson was showered with praise by the British press.
Anyway, away from his debut game for the club, Al Ettifaq made it known that their star midfielder wouldn't take part in their second game of the season against Al Hazem.
Steven Gerrard's side indicated that Jordan Henderson was ill and as such wouldn't play in the game.
This certainly made many wonder how much energy the Englishman had exerted in the encounter.
Meanwhile, in terms of fans turning out to watch matches, Al Ettifaq's first home match this campaign against Al Nassr was seen by about 14,000 fans.
In the next home game about 4200 fans were in attendance, while in their 3 home game, a ridiculously low 2,281 fans came to the Prince Mohamed Bin Fahd Stadium to watch their clash against Damac FC.
Meanwhile, about 696 individuals watched Al Ettifaq lose to Al-Riyadh 1-0 in October 2023.
These numbers are basically equivalent to attendance numbers in League Two and even National League North matches.
Jordan Henderson was seemingly expecting to see the Saudi Pro League at a bigger level compared to what he is presently seeing.
It can be argued that playing in a club outside the PIF-owned teams could be the reason why he has lost the desire and spark he needs.
Government-owned teams in the Saudi Pro League; Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli, and Al Ittihad spent hugely in the summer signing top players and fans trooped in to watch several of their matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Neymar, and Karim Benzema are notable players signed by PIF clubs and fans are always eager to see such players strut their stuff for their respective teams.
Al Ettifaq are not financially buoyant to compete with clubs owned by the government and as such, they can't build a team in quick time filled with star footballing names.
It will be interesting to see what will unfold in the coming months regarding Jordan Henderson, who joined Steven Gerrard's side on July 27, 2023, for a fee of €14 million.
Henderson has made 19 appearances for the Pro League club this campaign, scoring no goal and providing 5 assists in all competitions.
Saudi Arabia are looking at building a footballing enclave that will shake the world and reinvigorate football.
It will be interesting to see how they go about it and the manner in which they will do it.
Henderson burst into the Pro League looking like he was going to set the league ablaze with sublime performances.
However, Jordan Henderson was hot and cold in the game due to the climatic conditions surrounding Saudi Arabia but he looked like he was set to conquer a new territory.
The Englishman, who looks to be homesick assisted Al Ettifaq to a 2-1 victory over Al Nassr in his first game with the team.
Following his first match with the Pro League side, where he put in an impressive display, Henderson was showered with praise by the British press.
Anyway, away from his debut game for the club, Al Ettifaq made it known that their star midfielder wouldn't take part in their second game of the season against Al Hazem.
Steven Gerrard's side indicated that Jordan Henderson was ill and as such wouldn't play in the game.
This certainly made many wonder how much energy the Englishman had exerted in the encounter.
Meanwhile, in terms of fans turning out to watch matches, Al Ettifaq's first home match this campaign against Al Nassr was seen by about 14,000 fans.
In the next home game about 4200 fans were in attendance, while in their 3 home game, a ridiculously low 2,281 fans came to the Prince Mohamed Bin Fahd Stadium to watch their clash against Damac FC.
Meanwhile, about 696 individuals watched Al Ettifaq lose to Al-Riyadh 1-0 in October 2023.
These numbers are basically equivalent to attendance numbers in League Two and even National League North matches.
Jordan Henderson was seemingly expecting to see the Saudi Pro League at a bigger level compared to what he is presently seeing.
It can be argued that playing in a club outside the PIF-owned teams could be the reason why he has lost the desire and spark he needs.
Government-owned teams in the Saudi Pro League; Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli, and Al Ittihad spent hugely in the summer signing top players and fans trooped in to watch several of their matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Neymar, and Karim Benzema are notable players signed by PIF clubs and fans are always eager to see such players strut their stuff for their respective teams.
Al Ettifaq are not financially buoyant to compete with clubs owned by the government and as such, they can't build a team in quick time filled with star footballing names.
It will be interesting to see what will unfold in the coming months regarding Jordan Henderson, who joined Steven Gerrard's side on July 27, 2023, for a fee of €14 million.
Henderson has made 19 appearances for the Pro League club this campaign, scoring no goal and providing 5 assists in all competitions.
Saudi Arabia are looking at building a footballing enclave that will shake the world and reinvigorate football.
It will be interesting to see how they go about it and the manner in which they will do it.