Recently, Jordan Henderson had to perform in front of an extremely small audience in Saudi Arabia, and now Graeme Souness has weighed in on the former captain of Liverpool.

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Graeme Souness, a former manager and captain of Liverpool, was blunt in his criticism of the Saudi Pro League’s standards. A number of well-known European players have recently moved to the Middle East, drawn by the enormous financial offers given there.

One such player is Jordan Henderson, the former captain of Liverpool, whose departure to Saudi Arabia sparked controversy because of his prior advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Henderson’s 12-year career at Liverpool came to an end when he joined Al-Ettifaq, a squad led by Anfield great Steven Gerrard.

Henderson had tremendous success with the Reds, taking home seven major awards, including the Champions League and the Premier League championship. But on October 22, when he played for Al-Ettifaq against Al Riyadh, there were just 696 fans present.

Souness, who was in Portugal recently on a break and saw a few Saudi Pro League games, seems unsurprised by the low turnout. He even went so far as to say that he could still play in the league at the age of 70.

“I spent a week in Portugal last week and was in the gym every day, sometimes watching Portuguese television carrying games from the Saudi league,” Souness wrote in his Daily Mail column. It was an experience that made sense to me when I saw Jordan Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq squad lose at home in front of just 696 people.

The games were tough to watch, and I found myself thinking, ‘I could do half an hour as an old central midfielder in that sport,’ at times. I’m offering my services!

The Saudi Pro League has been working hard to become more well-known worldwide and draw in elite players from all around the world. On the other hand, it appears that more has to be done to raise fan involvement and enhance play quality.

According to Liverpool.com, Souness expresses his opinions without holding back. It appears that the Saudi public concurs with Henderson, based on the pitiful crowds he has been playing for.

Even though he is obviously taking some artistic license, the fact that a 70-year-old Souness can still feel competent enough to play in the Saudi Pro League says nothing about the caliber of football. Henderson is finding it more and more difficult to defend his choice to quit one of the top clubs in Europe in order to play in front of audiences that would shame many English non-league teams.