England boss Gareth Southgate watched midfielder Jordan Henderson make his Ajax debut in a 1-1 draw with unbeaten Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven.
Henderson, 33, joined Ajax on 18 January after less than six months at Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq, who terminated his contract.
The former Liverpool captain’s debut had been delayed while he waited for a work permit.
But on Saturday he played the full home match at Johan Cruyff Arena.
Luuk de Jong’s 34th-minute goal for PSV cancelled out Steven Berghuis’ 19th-minute opener, leaving Ajax fifth in the league.
“Obviously it was a special day for me and my family,” Henderson told ESPN after the match. “To represent this football club for the first time – that was special. And to play in this stadium was really special.”
Henderson also said he only found out before the game that Southgate was attending, adding: “Hopefully he picked a good game and he enjoyed the game.”
Southgate continued to pick Henderson in his Three Lions squads after he moved to Saudi Arabia, though he was booed by some England fans on his first game back in the country against Australia at Wembley in October, which the England manager said at the time “defies logic”.
At his Ajax unveiling last month, Henderson said he had been in regular contact with Southgate with this summer’s European Championship in Germany in his thoughts when he made the move to the Netherlands.
