Henderson hungry to stay in spotlight

Jordan Henderson has become the most talked-about young footballer in England this month with his high-profile move to Liverpool FC but that does not earn him deferential treatment on the ping-pong table.

Table tennis is the preferred pastime for Stuart Pearce's Young Lions at their base in Brejning on the east coast of Jutland and Henderson has had to cope with the mind games of full-back Ryan Bertrand who, as he revealed, "tries to get in your head".

Henderson is unlikely to flinch in the face of friendly sledging, judging by the competitive streak he showed in his opening UEFA European Under-21 Championship outing against Spain on Sunday. The 20-year-old could be seen exchanging words with the opposition bench at one point, although it was keeping "a clear head", he said, that proved key to England's recovery to claim a 1-1 draw.

Spain dominated possession with their familiar short-passing style but England showed the qualities that Henderson believes can take them far in Denmark. "It was a tough game. Spain kept the ball really well as they always do and made it really difficult for us when they had the ball but we showed great character – we had that never-say-die attitude and managed to get that late goal," said Henderson, who took the armband from captain Michael Mancienne after his midfield partner's substitution.

Coping with Spain's tiki-taka was a learning experience. "You have to keep a clear head and just keep going," said Henderson, explaining: "The game plan was to wait for them to come to the halfway line or beyond and then we'd start pressing them. At times our shape was OK, they didn't have too many chances – they kept the ball for large periods but didn't really hurt us that much. We just needed to work on our side on going forward, keeping the ball a bit better."

For Wednesday's second Group B match against Ukraine, Henderson hopes England do just that – and "express ourselves a bit more and have a bit more belief going forward". He expects a different kind of contest. "Ukraine are a really good team with some really good players but we will be ready and have to make sure we come out of the blocks firing."

Henderson arrived here later than his team-mates last Wednesday after finalising his estimated €22m transfer to Anfield from Sunderland AFC. A boyhood Sunderland fan, he nonetheless grew up idolising David Beckham yet it is not a Manchester United FC icon but a Liverpool one that he has been tipped to emulate. With his energy, vision, passing and tackling in midfield, he was labelled last week as "the next Steven Gerrard" – by Gerrard himself.

"Obviously it is a massive compliment with what Steven Gerrard has achieved in the game over a long period as one of the best players in the world. Hopefully I can go there and learn a lot from him," he said. "Liverpool is a massive club and they have a great manager and great players and I felt as though I could improve there and learn a lot. It's been exciting but I've just got to keep focused on what my job is for [England] and stay focused throughout the tournament."

Henderson knows only too well that success in Denmark would boost his chances of repeating his career highlight to date – his first senior England cap won against France last November. "There is a lot of publicity and people watching the Under-21 tournament, you want to make a statement."

And whatever is said in the heat of table-tennis battle, he is not alone in that. "You can see the togetherness on and off the pitch," he said of Pearce's squad. "[But] it will take you to a certain point and then you've got to bring your talents into it. Hopefully on Wednesday we can do that."