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Gareth Southgate is not doing a Don Revie, but he stopped short of saying he would never do a Jordan Henderson. The England manager is aware that the popular move would be to say that he would never take the Saudi Arabian money but is conscious, too, that such a statement could make him look like a hypocrite later. Whereas perhaps the most reviled of his predecessors, Revie, walked out for a lucrative offer from the United Arab Emirates and the manager who overcame him in the Euro 2020 final, Roberto Mancini, quit Italy for Saudi Arabia, Southgate stated: “I’m not looking to leave the job I’m in. I’m very happy. I certainly wouldn’t leave managing my country during my contract.” And yet, were he out of work, would he still reject a supersized offer? “I can easily say no and look like the big guy. But can you answer that question until it is there in front of you?” he countered. It was the question Henderson faced. Many feel let down by the choice he made. Often eloquent, the former Liverpool captain is yet to explain himself, leaving Southgate, after calling his vice-captain up for England, in the uncomfortable position of trying to do so. “It’s for him to decide when he’s going to speak and how he speaks,” Southgate said. “I’d be pretty certain that his views on life haven’t changed at all. I think he realises that by making the decision he has made, that is going to bring a certain level of scrutiny and criticism. He’s not naïve. “I did have that discussion with him. But any career decision has got a lot of different factors within it. Obviously there is a lot of money within Saudi Arabia that is being paid, none of us are going to avoid that. But his prospects of playing at Liverpool were probably a big factor in that becoming more attractive than it might have been in the past. That’s a big factor in the decision to go. Liverpool as a club will have presumably got a good fee for an older player. All of those things are complex.” That hinted at the various issues: how do you balance the moral, the footballing and the financial? Henderson’s priorities can seem skewed. Southgate argued his situation bears similarities with those of many people in other walks of life. “Given the situation with Russia, we are reliant on Saudi Arabia for a lot of our oil,” he said. “I don’t really know what the morality argument is because so many of our industries are wrapped up with Saudi investment but I don’t hear any noises about that. It’s only the football that’s highlighted. The LGBT+ stance is a religious belief in that country.” Perhaps Southgate struck a duff note in that sentence but a former ally of the LGBTQ+ community has been left looking like a man who sacrificed his principles for money. What remains to be seen is whether Henderson sacrificed his England career, too: he had long been adamant he would not retire from international football. But if Southgate is adamant he will not exclude a player because of the league he plays in, he remains unsure if it will prepare Henderson for the rigours of international football. “There was the honest conversation we had: ‘We’re going to have to map you against players playing in a different league and in a different level of competition and we’re just going to have to see how that goes’,” he said. “What I have got to do is pick a team based on the technical, tactical, physical capabilities and the question about that league at the moment from our perspective is, ‘Is the intensity going to be enough to be physically in the right condition for the level of games we are going to have?’ We can only find out over a period of time.” Henderson’s game has been built on his running power; if he wilts in the Saudi heat, he becomes a lesser force. And then there could be footballing grounds to exclude a midfielder who played well in England’s June games. Southgate does not think there are yet, though Henderson was slipping down the pecking order at Anfield. His research may have to take him to the Middle East. It could become a regular trip. Southgate suspects the Saudi investment in football is not confined to one summer. There may yet be other England players joining Henderson there; Southgate noted that Saudi clubs are not just targeting the thirty-something footballers. At some stage, he plans to scout Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in person. “We haven’t felt that was the best use of our time during the first weeks of the season,” he said. “Logistically it was important to get around the Premier League.” Yet the presence of the England manager in Saudi Arabia would be more controversial than in Spain and Germany. If Henderson has made Saudi Arabia a problem for Southgate, it is one that is unlikely to go away. Read More Jordan Henderson risks tarnishing Liverpool legacy after career built on triumph of character Gareth Southgate understands criticism of Jordan Henderson following Saudi move Jordan Henderson could be shunned by LGBT+ England fans after Saudi Arabia move LGBT+ England fans may shun Jordan Henderson for ‘turning his back’ on them Gareth Southgate admits Raheem Sterling not happy after England snub Liverpool agree £35million deal with Bayern Munich for Ryan Gravenberch

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It was the sort of goal Riyad Mahrez has tended to score for Manchester City, the kind that helped the Algerian strike 39 times in two seasons when he was not even always a first choice. Yet it was not Mahrez: he is gone to Al-Ahli and if a deluxe squad player looked irreplaceable, there came an illustration that City have a potential successor with some similar qualities. But, even though it came in the first game since Mahrez’s departure, perhaps not for this season. Out of the academy, off the bench, Cole Palmer scored City’s first spectacular goal at Wembley since Ilkay Gundogan two months earlier. This time it did not yield silverware: City’s last three competitive games, separated by the summer, have consisted of a trio of finals and they lost the least important, perhaps cruelly for Palmer, who had more reason to pronounce himself “gutted” than most. As Arsenal brought in their £105 million signing, Declan Rice, City brought on the local lad who cost them nothing. As Mahrez used to, he cut in from the right flank and curled in a shot with his left foot. As Mahrez increasingly was, he was a substitute; an impact sub at that. That impact was diminished by Leandro Trossard’s deflected 101st-minute equaliser and a loss in the subsequent shootout. Many a Community Shield can be forgotten; this might not be remembered as Palmer’s day after all. But it was an illustration of ability, it remains to be seen where it will be glimpsed again this season. City have not bought anyone to take over from Mahrez. Yet if there is a vacancy in a squad that, after Raheem Sterling left last year, now looks shorter of wingers, Palmer could still be headed for the exit. He has a queue of suitors and City will consider loaning him out. Brighton are thought to be keen. Burnley were, though they have a stack of wingers. Palmer may not take the path of Phil Foden, the young Mancunian who stayed in Manchester. If his route is into the City side, he may require a long and winding road. “He wanted to play more minutes last season,” Guardiola said. “We have to talk with the club. I don’t know what is going to happen with him to find a solution with him.” Palmer hinted that first-team football elsewhere may be preferable to cameos at the Etihad Stadium. “We’ll have to see what the plan is for next season and hopefully play as many games as possible,” he said. He made the most of a quarter of regulation time at Wembley. It was enough to earn him the player-of-the-match award, albeit before the late drama added a different sheen to proceedings. When he entered proceedings, he seemed the lesser partner in a double act, brought on with Kevin de Bruyne. When they combined, the Belgian’s first assist of the season was rather overshadowed by the finish, curled around Aaron Ramsdale. It was Palmer’s fifth goal for City. A man who scored 52 last season had exited with an expected goals score of 0.00. It was a sign of the lack of service to Erling Haaland. As starting the season by drawing a blank in the Community Shield is now an annual routine, it feels less of a concern than the Norwegian’s underwhelming debut against Liverpool last year. Haaland’s importance is obvious after a campaign that was the most productive of any player’s since Dixie Dean was in his heyday. If there is a reason to argue it is still greater this season it is because City’s two summer departures, Mahrez and Gundogan, had a shared attribute: each could prove prolific, whether from a deeper or wider position. It was most useful in the false-nine years, the interregnum between Sergio Aguero and Haaland. They were the respective top scorers in the two previous seasons. Yet it is a skillset City have yet to import: Mateo Kovacic has come in for Gundogan but rarely finds the net. So far, no winger has joined. Guardiola started with technicians – in Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva – who are infrequent scorers. He began with two who got into double figures last season, Julian Alvarez and Haaland, who got half the way to triple figures. He brought on two more, in Foden and De Bruyne. Subdued at the start, City looked brighter with an injection of impetus from the Belgian and a moment of class from Palmer. It was a reminder that they have often prospered by allying their assurance in possession with moments of individual brilliance, often from De Bruyne or Mahrez. But even as Palmer suggested he may be the heir to the Algerian, it was followed by the feeling that it will not be at City just yet. Read More How much added time? Football’s new guidelines and the impact they will have Arsenal ‘obviously paid way too much’ for Declan Rice, says Roy Keane Can Mikel Arteta become Pep Guardiola’s greatest nemesis – or merely the latest? How much added time? Football’s new guidelines and the impact they will have Keira Walsh: England’s deep-lying playmaker in profile Raphael Varane says players’ opinions ignored over ‘damaging’ new guidelines

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