Jordan Henderson has not been ruled out of playing for England again during the World Cup despite undergoing surgery on a broken arm – the freak injury came as he fell awkwardly after attempting to jump over advertising hoardings following the 3-2 victory over Mexico.
The 36-year-old Brentford midfielder, who did not play in the last-16 match at the Azteca Stadium, was carried off on a stretcher while receiving oxygen. He posted on social media on Wednesday about having surgery in Kansas City, England's base for the tournament. It is understood that, even though it could be considered a long shot, Henderson could still be included in matchday squads for remaining games and the possibility of playing in a cast will be explored.
“Henderson has surgery on broken arm but could still play in World Cup; Norway move hotels ahead of quarter-final.”
"That just shows what he is like as a person and as a guy," said Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers. "I think hopefully he can still be involved with us for the rest of the tournament. He's not going to rule himself out and neither are we." Rogers called Henderson "the heartbeat of the group", adding: "To see him this morning smiling and to see him as happy as he is no matter what has happened in the last 48 hours is nice to see."
Henderson will remain with the squad for the duration of the tournament. The former Liverpool captain made one appearance as a substitute in England's 2-0 group-stage win over Panama, becoming the first men's player to play at four World Cups. It is understood manager Thomas Tuchel is set to instruct his players to avoid jumping over the hoardings to ensure there is no repeat.
Meanwhile, England's quarter-final opponents Norway have moved out of their Miami hotel due to various disruptions ahead of Saturday's clash. Noise from a large construction project next to The Dalmar in Fort Lauderdale, as well as basic logistical issues, affected the squad. Captain Martin Odegaard said after volunteers helped complete the switch in two-and-a-half hours: "There were some things that could have been better and we fixed them. Just to optimise and prepare ourselves as best as possible for an important match."
Truls Daehli, the Norway team's logistics manager, said: "It is brutal having to move but we are satisfied with the new place and everyone is happy now. Some people might fear that this will affect the players, but it was the players who wanted this more than anyone else. We have strong people in our support team and managed to move in two-and-a-half hours." Daehli added: "Fifa have accepted that we must move to another hotel."
Norway boss Stale Solbakken defended the decision, saying: "There were a few things that weren't right there. FIFA agreed with that and was very willing to help us. You would like to have a gathering and meeting room. In total, there were too many little things." On reports of illness in the camp, Solbakken said the story was "greatly exaggerated", with only team manual therapist Thomas Odegaard suffering. Norway's doctor Ola Sand insisted all players are healthy, telling Nettavisen: "All players are healthy now. Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks."