Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson could make his Chelsea debut against his former club Brentford(Image: Ryan Pierse)
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Jordan Henderson could make his Chelsea debut on Friday evening, ironically, against his former club Brentford.
The 36-year-old midfielder left the Gtech Community Stadium after striking a gentlemen's agreement with the Bees to release him from his contract. Henderson was aware of interest from Chelsea in his signature, with newly-appointed manager Xabi Alonso keen to add more experience to a young squad.
However, Henderson's bizarre injury at the World Cup means his Blues debut has had to wait. The England international suffered a broken arm while celebrating the Three Lions' win over Mexico in July, where he fell over an advertising hoarding while Thomas Tuchel's players were embracing their supporters at the Azteca.
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Henderson then underwent surgery on the serious arm injury, meaning he has been unavailable to Alonso for the first six matches of the new season. The former Liverpool captain, however, is close to making his debut for the Blues.
Chelsea have released a selection of training images this week and Henderson has been spotted in a few at the club's Cobham base. Alonso said last week that he was hopeful Henderson would be fit enough to take some part against Brentford on Friday evening.
Blues supporters are keen to see a midfield two that doesn't consist of Reece James and Romeo Lavia together after recent performances. So much so that when football.london put the question, 'should Jordan Henderson start vs Brentford', to a group of fans in the Chelsea - football.london WhatsApp Channel, the answer was emphatic.
football.london conducted a poll over whether Jordan Henderson should start against Brentford
football.london conducted a poll over whether Jordan Henderson should start against Brentford
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More than 3,800 supporters voted 'yes', 321 fans voted 'no', and 190 went with 'unsure'. It is clear to see the general consensus when it comes to Henderson and whether he should play a big role at his old stomping ground.
However, it is unclear at the time of writing whether Moises Caicedo will be fit to take part against the Bees. Alonso said he was hoping the Ecuadorian, who has been struggling with a calf issue this season, will be available to him on Friday night but he has not been spotted in any of the training pictures released during the week.