Jordan Henderson has laughed off Roy Keane’s criticisms of his role in the England squad.
Henderson made his first appearance in 106 days as Gareth Southgate’s side warmed up for Euro 2020 with a 1-0 win over Romania last weekend.
The Liverpool captain’s inclusion drew scathing criticism from his former Sunderland manager Keane, who previously handed him a professional debut.
But Henderson downplayed the Manchester United legend’s remarks on his return to action since undergoing successful groin surgery in February.
“To be fair to Roy, he can say what he wants about me,” said the midfielder.
“He gave me my debut and I wouldn’t be here without him giving me that. He can say whatever he wants about me. I found it quite funny, actually.
“So, yeah, listen, we know a little bit more detail, I know more detail and so does the manager, which Roy may not.
“But in terms of stuff like that, everyone’s going to have an opinion, everybody’s going to think they know better than everybody else.
“For me, all my focus has been on the last couple of months is working as hard as I possibly can to be in a position where I can contribute in the tournament and I’m very thankful I’m in that position now.”
He added: “Listen, as a player you want to play and I’m not coming here just to be around the camp, like Roy was saying.
“I want to come here and I want to contribute in the games. How much of that is not really down to me, it’s up to the manager to make a decision.
“But whenever I’m called upon, I’ll be ready and hopefully I can be a big contribution to this tournament and our success going forward.”