Gareth Southgate has no plans to watch Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia

Jordan Henderson (right) was part of Gareth Southgate's squad for England's recent games against Scotland and Ukraine. : PA/Nick Potts

Gareth Southgate has no plans to travel to Saudi Arabia to watch Jordan Henderson in person ahead of England's next games against Australia and Italy in October.

Henderson was part of Southgate's squad for the tournament. Matches between Ukraine and Scotland, the start and full 90 minutes of the game against Ukraine and the match in Glasgow on the bench.

The midfielder was widely criticized for his move to Al Ettifaq this summer, although Southgate praised Henderson's performance against Ukraine and said his «score» was the highest of his England career while playing in Poland.

Southgate and his England staff have been studying Henderson closely in training and he appears happy to rely on data for now as he has no plans to fly to Saudi Arabia to watch the Liverpool man in person.

In naming Henderson in his squad for games in Ukraine and Scotland, Southgate admitted he should travel to Saudi Arabia to watch him in person «at some point» but qualified this by saying he would seek advice on whether Is this appropriate in a football club? Association.

Southgate's trip to Saudi Arabia would have drawn scrutiny given the controversy surrounding the fact that homosexuality is illegal and can be punishable by death.

Faced with this, Southgate last month stated that: “I didn’t think about it. Who will actually decide whether this is acceptable or not? I can follow the games like we do on television. If I'm doing my job right, I should go to Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Saudi Arabia to see Hendo. If they tell me it's unacceptable, then I'll have to accept it.”

Crystal Palace are worried about the fitness of their England defender Marc Guei, who was sent off at half-time in Scotland. with a problem in the groin and hip area. He will undergo scans and may be in doubt for the trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.