Jordan Henderson will play with shirt number 6 at Ajax, it was announced on Thursday evening during his presentation in the capital. In his first interview with the club channels, the 33-year-old Englishman says that shirt number 14 is actually 'his' number, but that number is not assigned to any player at Ajax.

The arrival of Henderson to the Amsterdam team had been in the air for more than a week. On Thursday evening, Ajax confirmed the arrival of the former Liverpool captain, who had his contract with the Saudi Arabian Al-Ettifaq terminated in order to move to the Netherlands.

Jordan Henderson cannot wear his favorite jersey number 1??4?? play, but is with number 6?? more than satisfied! ??#??

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) January 18, 2024

Henderson has signed a contract until mid-2026 in the Johan Cruijff ArenA and is talking to the club channels of the Amsterdam team about his shirt number and role in the team. “Would I get shirt number 6? I believe so, yes.”

“Of course I'm happy with that. I'm not that concerned about jersey numbers. Fourteen is my number, but that is of course an iconic number here (by Johan Cruijff, ed.). I found out that no player gets that shirt number here at Ajax,” says Henderson.

“It is no longer used because of Cruijff, which is very understandable,” continues the right winger. “Everyone here said they wanted to give me jersey number six and I was totally fine with that. It's my son's birthday and the song my dad played with when he was young, so hopefully it's a good omen.”

Henderson was brought in by Ajax to provide the number 6 position with the necessary quality and experience. The 81-time international says that he can also play 'at eight'. “I believe that Ajax wants me to play at six to link the game from defense to attack as best as possible and thus do what I have been doing in that position for a while.”

Response from John van 't Schip
Trainer John van 't Schip is happy with the arrival of Henderson, he said earlier in the evening. “We wanted an experienced midfielder with leadership qualities. Partly because of injuries, we were also looking for someone who could be there immediately. Henderson is such a player.”

“His arrival means a major boost in quality for our selection. Both on and off the field, a footballer of this caliber is also important for the many young players. He is an English international and has won the Champions League and many other prizes with Liverpool. I am happy with his arrival and I think it is very good for our club that he is an Ajax player from today.”

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