Brentford set to sign Henderson after Ajax exit

Henderson has played 84 times for England, scoring three goals

England midfielder Jordan Henderson is set to sign for Brentford after his exit from Ajax earlier this week.

The 35-year-old will join the Bees on a two-year deal after the Dutch club agreed to end his contract a year early.

Henderson had considerable interest from top clubs in England and Europe but Brentford have won the race to sign the former Liverpool skipper.

Playing in the Premier League will provide Henderson with the platform to stay in Thomas Tuchels England squad before next summers World Cup.

The 84-cap England midfielder will help plug the gap vacated by former Bees captain Christian Norgaard, who has left for Arsenal.

The deal formalities are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

The move to Brentford will return Henderson to the Premier League after he left Liverpool in 2023.

During his 12 years at Anfield Henderson won the Premier League - the clubs first league title in 30 years - Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup and Community Shield.

Henderson left the Reds to join Al-Ettifaq but his time in the Saudi Pro League lasted less than six months before he joined Ajax in January 2024.

He made more than 50 appearances for Ajax but exited the club having narrowly missed out on the league title, with PSV Eindhoven crowned champions on the final day of last season.

Henderson was left out of Gareth Southgates Euro 2024 squad, as he had not played for England since 2023.

After Tuchels appointment as England head coach in January, Henderson has featured in both of the Germans squads, making three appearances.

Matthew Hobbs, BBC Sport

Henderson will effectively fill the void left by Christian Norgaard at Brentford and he has big shoes to fill.

Since Norgaards Premier League debut in 2021, the Danish midfielder has made an unrivalled 201 interceptions, while he also ranks second overall for recoveries (844) and third for tackles won (189).

Henderson has perhaps not played as many full games as he would have liked since ending his controversial move to Saudi Arabia to join Ajax in January 2024 but hes still been effective in Amsterdam.

He created the joint-most chances of any Ajax player in the Eredivisie last season, while he also completed the most passes and crosses, and made the most tackles and interceptions combined, of any midfielder for the Dutch club.