Lost in the desert: Jordan Henderson wants out after playing in 30c heat for a hopeless team attracting less fans than South Shields… but Saudis say they'll still deliver a high-class league of stars despite the snub

For the opening 10 minutes of his debut, in stifling nighttime temperatures of around 30 Celsius, Jordan Henderson played like Jordan Henderson.

From the whistle he was all over the pitch, probing and passing and cajoling his team-mates. Then, at the first real break in play, he lifted his already-drenched shirt in a futile attempt to dry his face. A small gesture that, with the benefit of hindsight, may have been significant.

At half-time, with a wet, white towel wrapped around his neck, he looked visibly exhausted as he trudged off the pitch before traipsing across the athletics track at the old-fashioned Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium to the sanctuary of the dressing room.