Ajax boss Francesco Farioli sat down with Sky Sports News‘ Paul Gilmour to discuss midfielder Jordan Henderson’s England recall, what the Englishman brings to the Dutch club, and the revival he’s been leading at Ajax…

Jordan Henderson is back in the England squad as an Ajax player. What was your reaction to that call-up?

“It was great. It was in the morning of the game, so we had just the opportunity to meet for breakfast and he came up with this news and, of course, it was really emotional.

“You know how much it means for him to be back in the national team squad and I think it’s something that he’s really happy for the team and for the club, and for all of us.

What conversations have you had with Jordan since that, and what have you said to him?

“This type of news is always special. So, with Jordan, we are really well connected from the emotional point of view for all the things that since day one I got from him because he’s a fantastic person, a true leader.

“As you can imagine, his experience, his knowledge and especially his love for the game is something that is really unique. For me, as a coach, it’s not really difficult to connect with people if they have this desire to make our normal environment better every day.

“He’s a player who just by example is able to lead the group and to move all the players in the right direction, and I think in the new journey that we are having, his role has been crucial.

“We have to be really happy. We are really happy for the fact that he’s going to contribute also for the new cycle of the England national team.”

It’s been a huge surprise here in England, maybe a bit of a mixed reaction. Some people weren’t expecting to see Henderson back in an England shirt. Were you surprised at all?

No, because I believe he’s a player who can really bring things.

“With his mentality and his professionalism, you are getting better in this type of thing.

“And now that England is rebuilding a new story, I believe you need this type of player and especially human being.”

So what does he give a team at 34 years of age?

“To say experience is really easy because, of course, more than 700 professional games is a quite big number.

“However, a part of this for me is the passion, the desire that he has to get better every day, despite the age.

“His way of training is really contagious in a positive way. So, to have a leader who is leading by example and is able to help the young players to create certain standards.

“He’s a benchmark for everybody and really facilitates the work of every type of technical staff, especially the ones who are relying on work ethic and mentality.”

You work with him every day but supporters don’t see that much behind the scenes. Can you give any specific examples of just what he brings? You mentioned the leadership. Have you any specific examples of the things people don’t see?

“There are many.

“This is the part where as a supporter or as a journalist, for example, what you see is just what is happening on the game day. But to arrive there well-prepared, the work and the details and the mental status of the team is key.

“You cannot really build this by yourself because at the end, I believe that even the best ideas, if you are not able to share and to create a link and bond with your players, you are not able to do anything.

“For me, this is really the starting point of everything – the capacity to connect people. And to connect people, first of all, you need to have a vision, a clear plan about where you want to go, and a direction.

“But after you have human beings who are capable of believing and taking the step, because at the end, every journey in football goes a lot with the faith and what you really feel deep inside.

“My first conversation with Jordan has been mainly about these types of things, even more than to speak about football.

“Of course, it was part of my explanation, his role. With us, he’s playing more as a number six than as a number eight, that he was used to do in Liverpool.

“So, I explain how I see him, why I see him there, which type of demands we have in our way of playing. But above all, what were my expectations from him as a possible captain, because last season, he was not the captain of the team.

“After a few conversations, it was easy to make the decision to give the armband to him. I believe that as a coach, you cannot ask for a better captain to have in your team.

So we’ve talked about his leadership qualities and human qualities. You mentioned there about playing six instead of eight. Is that the way he’s adapted his game? Does he show signs of being flexible and being able to adapt his actual game at that age?

“Yes, definitely. His spirit and his desire to constantly learn from everybody is crazy. So, this shows a lot about his humbleness.

“That is also a characteristic that for me is really important for a football player. Also, his curiosity. These are always the key elements to really connect with the football players and to connect with the person.

“If after winning a Champions League, you still have a desire to discover a new position, to discover new demands, to discover a new way of playing, this says a lot.

“As I said before, about the passion and the love for the game, I think his passion is second to none.”

You and Thomas Tuchel are on the same page when it comes to Henderson, because Tuchel said he embodies everything we try to build. He is a serial winner. Do you think Jordan can help England get closer to their dream of lifting the World Cup?

“It was very funny because in the morning, I had my normal routine and then an interview. So, they asked me my feelings.

“Of course, I used some key words that a few hours later Tuchel said in his press conference.

“It’s not because we had a conversation between us, but just because if you have the luck and the opportunity to connect with Jordan and to speak with him, his characteristics are going to be very clear to everybody.

“If you speak about his role in this new England process, I have no doubt and I fully support the decision of Tuchel.”

Jordan is part of your team and after two difficult seasons, we can’t not mention the way it’s gone for you so far this season. Of course, there is a lot of football to be played, but there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm among the supporters, a really strong connection between you and the team, and the fans. It must feel pretty good to have turned this around in that way…

“The narrative for us has been very clear and this was the main part of the first conversation that I had with Jordan when we met in the training centre. We started to talk and I mentioned the fact that last season and the last two seasons, but especially the last season, it was full of scratches for the club and for the players who were there.

“Coming inside in this moment of difficulty, it’s not really my way of thinking to say, now it’s a new page. No, it’s never really like this in football life. It’s never really a blank page. If you want that, you have to clean up.

“I felt it was important to keep visible the pain and the suffering somehow that the club had in the last two years, because in the moment you have to decide which way to take.

“I think it’s a very good reminder to have on your skin still some signals of the pain that you had in the past. So my message to Jordan and after it was something that time to time we like to refresh is this one, to keep ourselves really sharp, really motivated and committed to a club that, as you can imagine, is a massive club. It is clearly an iconic club in European football.

“The responsibility that goes with this is massive and we need to have players ready for that. But as I said before, human beings that really want to do something special and they want to sacrifice everything to try to give a bit of happiness to the Ajax world.”

You have come across representing the club in a positive attitude after those difficult years and are dealing with all of that pressure that comes at a massive club like Ajax. To do that at 35 years of age yourself, have you found yourself learning a lot over the last few years?

“My previous experiences in different countries are really valuable opportunities for me to get a bit more, a bit readier to the challenges that we face. After, in every environment, in every country, in every club, you always experience different difficulties or different challenges.

“I really like to believe that there is not one plan that goes with everything. So, you go into a new club and this is what we did here with our beliefs, with our way of playing, with our ideas, with our behaviours that we want to see from the players, and especially from us. Being the example and the leader of the new project.

“After when you enter and when you step in, it’s always really important to smell what is going on around because from outside you have a picture, but in the first five to six days, you need to be really capable of adapting, to be flexible, to understand and maybe also to change something from the plans that you have.

“This is always one of the most exciting parts when you have the opportunity to enter a club with difficulties and to approach the job with the proper energy, and the proper vibes.

I know part of the pressure at a big club like Ajax or in England it’s like Manchester United and Liverpool. These bigger clubs with a real history seem to have so much more scrutiny of them. So, because of that, because they’ve achieved such success in the past, whenever you hear public praise from someone like Louis van Gaal and people who have won success at a historic club, that surely must give you so much confidence…

“To have the support of an incredible mentor and an iconic coach as Van Gaal is something really powerful.

“Our daily job in a club with this type of heritage, with this type of past is something that is important to have clear. There’s a strong motivation, but also I believe it is key for all of us to keep moving and to have a clear desire to move forward.

“There is no future without the past. But it’s also really important to live in the present. And if possible, to work a bit with one eye into the future because football is changing really fast.

“You need to be part of what is changing in football, and for this job, you need a lot of humbleness and curiosity because every day you have to put your thoughts under discussion and under attack by yourself before anybody else.

“This is key and the club here, Ajax, is a massive club with a very clear DNA and also, with a very clear business model about the fact that young players need to develop.

“Also, we had the opportunity to have two new call-ups for some other national teams. Jorthy Mokio is just 17 years old and with the first team of Belgium. Youri Baas is also with the Netherlands’ first team.

“So, the individuals are helping the collective to grow and the collective is helping the individuals to achieve their own desires and dreams.”