England arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, for a 12-day training camp ahead of the World Cup, with players acclimating to roasting temperatures ahead of their opening game against Croatia on June 17.
Jordan Henderson in his fourth World Cup with England (Image: Getty Images)
Jordan Henderson has insisted England are ready for the World Cup heat. Henderson, who will turn 36 on June 17 when England play Croatia, said he was preparing for the temperatures, climate and demands of America this summer.
England manager Thomas Tuchel organized a 12-day pre-tournament camp with training at the luxurious Palm Beach Gardens Tennis and Pickleball Center. It will be Portugal’s home for the World Cup after being used by Real Madrid in last year’s Club World Cup.
England trained for 70 minutes on two perfect pitches in 32-degree heat on Tuesday, with friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica also scheduled to be played in Tampa and Orlando. WAGs, family and friends were invited with 15 players flying in from Birmingham on Monday, with the rest joining up after holidaying nearby.
They flew to Miami, about 70 miles away, and were immediately hit by a biblical storm, but while the sun was shining during practice, dark storm clouds rolled in shortly after practice ended. In Florida, it should be a combination of relaxation and hard training in preparation for the World Cup, which will be a challenge for European teams due to the different climate.
“It’s important to develop your ability to deal with these conditions. If you’ve been playing all the time, it’s hard to really adapt, but this week it’s important to increase that ability and get used to the heat a little bit. The game will be good for exposure to that heat. We have a great team and we’ve been studying ways to cool down, recover and things like that,” Henderson said.
“I mean, this is at the top level and I hope that gives us a little bit of an edge as well when we go into the tournament. But it’s the same for everyone. So we just have to try to focus on the football.”Henderson missed most of the season with injury and was probably lucky to be able to join the team until his return at the end.
The countdown has begun for Henderson and the England squad for the opening game against Croatia on June 17th (Image: Getty Images)
But Henderson said he is enjoying playing in his fourth World Cup and is determined to accept the challenge and deliver the trophy. “To do that, we have to be at it every day. We have to be ready to make sacrifices for each other. It’s exciting, but there’s a lot of work to do and we’re looking forward to moving forward,” he added.
“As the coach says, we have to be ready to do all the invisible work and we have to be there to support each other because we all know the talent that the team has, what we can do and how we can damage the team.
“I’m very honored and lucky to have this opportunity, but as always, it’s about being the best version of myself, being ready to help the team on and off the pitch, and doing everything I can to help this team be successful in the tournament.”
England players getting used to warmer temperatures in Florida (Image: Getty Images)
“Everyone knows what England means to me because I’ve represented my country all my career, but I’ve worked hard over the last few years to get into this position. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices and I’m so grateful to be here and be a part of it.”
England’s Arsenal quartet of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke will join up ahead of Saturday’s first friendly against New Zealand. Crystal Palace keeper Dean Henderson arrives on Wednesday after all five were given extra time off after their respective European finals.
Alex Scott, Josh King, Rio Ngmoha and Ethan Nwaneri make up the numbers as training players, while Jason Steele is also absent from the squad but serves as fourth keeper for training purposes. The reason Scott is the only player who can be promoted to the squad in the event of an injury is because he is on FIFA’s provisional 55-man list, which he must be included in to be promoted to the final 26.
