Injured defender Doneil Henry doing his bit off the pitch to help Canada at World Cup

Football

Published 06.12.2022

Injured defender Doneil Henry doing his bit off the pitch to help Canada at World Cup

Doneil Henry’s World Cup expertise has been far completely different than the one he initially hoped for. But the veteran defender remains to be doing no matter he can for Canada.

Sidelined by a calf harm on the eve of the match, Henry remains to be with the Canadian crew however in a non-playing function. He has been doing every thing from “a little bit of tactical work on the computers” to taking the emotional pulse of his teammates.

“Just literally being a big brother,” he mentioned in an interview. “Just ensuring all people’s temper is correct, ensuring the power inside the crew (is correct) and clearly simply pointing (out) defensive stuff that I believe we will both work on or rectify, repair for the subsequent sport.

“Besides that, I’m just helping out wherever I’m needed. If that means I’m helping with equipment or doing stuff on the technical side. Whatever’s needed, I’ll do it.”

The 29-year-old from Brampton, Ont., has gained 44 caps for Canada and was about so as to add to that quantity on Nov. 11 in Manama the place he was scheduled to captain Canada for the second time in a pre-tournament pleasant in opposition to Bahrain two days earlier than coach John Herdman named his 26-man World Cup roster.

“I felt good all week, training well,” Henry recalled.

But he felt a “sharp pain” in his calf in the course of the pre-game warm-up.

“I tried to stretch it and continue going but it just got worse and worse,” he mentioned.

The preliminary analysis was restoration would take as much as 14 days, with Canada’s opening sport on the match Nov. 23 — 12 days later.

Henry opted to take his identify out of World Cup competition, saying it was simply the proper factor to do.

“The way I always envision myself as a player is I don’t look for sympathy. I don’t make excuses. I always want to do it the right way,” Henry defined. “As much as I’ve been part of this team for the last four years and believe in it, buying into a system and a way of playing and the principle that we’ve laid a foundation for, I knew that there were players in this team who deserved it and who are ready to step on the field to make sure that they can give us the best opportunity to win.”

That sacrifice drew a tribute from Herdman, who mentioned seeing Henry go down was one of many “toughest moments of my career.”

“Doneil put the team first … We could have tried to return him to play and had him later on in the tournament. But he knew it was the right decision to make, to allow another player that had earned that right and that was fully fit to come and take that opportunity,” the coach mentioned on the time. “It was a giant second.

“It really shows the courage and what this brotherhood’s about when a man can sort of surrender his shirt and take that step forward to support the team in a different role.”

It was not a straightforward choice to make. But Henry, who’s a member of the Canadian crew’s management group, says Herdman bought him on it within the emotional aftermath of the harm.

His message was easy.

“I can’t make you feel better for what you’re going through but you won’t feel better at home. And your boys need you here. So take the time you need. Figure it out but make sure you’re ready to help the boys,” Henry recalled Herdman telling him.

“The boys have been really good to me,” Henry added. “As much as they could use me, I need them. They’ve made this transition a lot easier for me to handle while here in Qatar.”

Herdman has constantly talked up Henry in months previous, saying how vital the centre again is to the squad. Henry returns the praise.

“John is a loyal man. He’s always been good to his players. He’s always been very very very transparent with what he wants and what he believes in.”

At the World Cup, Henry has been dwelling Canada’s video games from his perch on the bench.

“Watching from the sidelines my heart was racing the entire time,” he admitted. “I felt like I used to be on the sector at sure factors I used to be so into the sport.

“I left those two games very very proud of the boys because we left it all out there. We gave it everything. And maybe on another day we get the result. Definitely positives to continue to build on.”

After dropping 1-0 to No. 2 Belgium and 4-1 to No. 22 Croatia, the Forty first-ranked Canadians wrap up match play Thursday in opposition to No. 22 Morocco.

As for the calf, Henry studies it’s bettering on daily basis.

“The staff has been amazing in taking the lead and making sure that I get back into a good place, get back into training and to set me up well to where I go next.”

He’s undecided the place precisely that will likely be. Henry is out of contract with Toronto FC, which introduced him again in July for a second stint after he was waived by Los Angeles FC.

Henry has additionally hung out with South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings, Vancouver Whitecaps, Ottawa Fury, Norway’s AC Horsens and England’s West Ham and Blackburn.

He has household assist in Qatar together with his dad and mom and sister available in addition to his girlfriend.

Henry has been a stalwart for Canada, participating in two cycles of World Cup qualifying and three Gold Cups. He captained Canada for the primary time in October 2021.