Source: PA
Home comforts for happy Henderson
Jordan Henderson is looking forward to being able to go out of the house again after helping to end Sunderland's alarming Barclays Premier League slump in style.
The 20-year-old England midfielder, who had found himself a target for the club's critics in the depths of their nine-game winless run, capped a fine individual display with two goals in Saturday's 4-2 victory over Wigan which all but ended their fears of relegation.
Henderson has found the going tough since coming to national prominence when he was handed his first senior international cap in November.
Manager Steve Bruce even left him out for the 3-2 home defeat by West Brom a fortnight ago in a bid to freshen him up, but the local boy provided the perfect response to his detractors.
Asked how the recent criticism had affected him, Henderson said: "I don't think it has been tough, to be fair. I have got the right people around me to keep my confidence up and keep me intact.
"I have just been knuckling down, keeping my head down and hopefully it paid off. If we haven't won in a couple of weeks, I have to do my shopping online. I can't really go out of the house. But that comes with football and I`ve got to deal with it, and I`ve got to be man enough to respect their opinions."
