'Slap in the face' - Jordan Henderson slammed by England's only openly gay footballer for Liverpool exit
The only openly gay footballer in England's professional leagues says Jordan Henderson's move to the Saudi Pro League was a 'slap in the face' after revealing the ex-Liverpool captain had previously reached out in support.
Blackpool's Jake Daniels, 18, last year became the first professional footballer in the English game to come out as gay since Justin Fashanu in 1990 and revealed he had received the backing of Henderson and his Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard.
The forward, though, has revealed his disappointment in seeing Henderson, who had aligned himself as a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community during his time as Liverpool captain, complete a controversial move to Saudi Arabia, a country that prohibits same-sex marriage.
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"It was frustrating," Daniels told the BBC. "Henderson messaged me when I came out. I have the DM on my phone, he was backing me the whole way. He was like: 'We're proud of what you've done',
"Seeing him move to Saudi, it's kind of like slapped it in my face really, hasn't he? It was frustrating but I guess the money pays well and money must mean more to people."
Asked if he had spoken to Henderson since his summer switch to the Gulf State, Daniels replied: "No, I haven't. Same with Gerrard as well. Gerrard's gone over there. I met him in person and he said: 'If you ever want to get in contact, then message me'. It was frustrating [that] so many people moved over.
"For me, the World Cup that happened in Qatar and the one that's going to happen in Saudi Arabia, if I was there I wouldn't feel safe to be playing over there, and
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