England midfielder Jordan Henderson leaves Ajax after asking to end contract

AMSTERDAM (AP) — England midfielder Jordan Henderson has left Ajax after the club agreed to end his contract early following a year and a half in the Netherlands.

Henderson had a year to run on his Ajax deal but the club said Thursday it “cooperated with the player’s request to terminate the current employment contract.”

Henderson thanked the club and the people of Amsterdam but didn’t specify why he’d asked to leave or what he plans to do next. He indicated that the death last week in a car accident of his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota had influenced how he communicated the decision.

“Due to the tragic events of last week, and the devastating loss of my former teammate Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, it doesn’t feel right at this moment to say or do more than share this brief statement,” Henderson said in a club statement.

“However, I am fully aware that I owe this club, my teammates, and the supporters a fuller and more personal thank you. I will, of course, do that when the time feels more appropriate.”

One option for Henderson could be a return to his hometown club Sunderland, where he started his career before joining Liverpool in 2011. Sunderland has been promoted back to the Premier League for next season for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Henderson joined Ajax in Jan. 2024 after an unsuccessful six-month stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, following 12 years at Liverpool, where he won the Premier League and Champions League.

The 35-year-old midfielder captained Ajax as it fell short of winning the Dutch league title this season after a late collapse saw the team overtaken by rival PSV Eindhoven.

Henderson has played 84 times for England and returned to the national team squad this year under new coach Thomas Tuchel.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer