Sunderland boss says Jordan Henderson looked restrained for England debut
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce says that midfielder Jordan Henderson looked restrained while making his debut for the England national team in a friendly match against France on Wednesday 17 November.
National team coach Fabio Capello handed the 20-year-old a starting berth and employed him in a defensive midfield role alongside Manchester City's Gareth Barry.
However, Bruce believes that Henderson is best utilised in a free role, where he can cause damage to opponents in a more advanced position, but added that he was delighted to see his player receive his first cap.
The former Wigan Athletic manager told the BBC, "You can't ask Jordan to just sit because you don't get the best out of him. You've got to let him go and rampage around the pitch because, for me, that's when he's at his best.
"He looked a little bit restricted. It was fantastic to see him in an England shirt and I'm sure he enjoyed it. He's had a wonderful rise in 18 months. Now's the next stage, to make sure he matures and develops, and that's where we've got to be careful."
France won the Wembley clash 2-1 through goals by Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena. Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch grabbed a consolation goal late on for a poor England side.
Bruce believes that Henderson played as well as any of his more established team-mates on the night, but conceded that France were better.
"I think Jordan did as well as anybody else. The French were the better side on the night. Because we've lost the game it seems like a catastrophe. That's the way football is these days. Possibly there were too many youngsters against a very, very good French
team who England struggled to cope with."
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