England hero Stuart Pearce hailed Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson for his performance in victory over World Cup opponents Wales.

The inclusion of the Liverpool captain in England's 3-0 win over Wales has come under scrutiny by some fans, with calls for younger more attacking players to be named in the starting line-up.

Henderson produced a solid display though to help the Three Lions reach the last-16 of the World Cup - where they will meet Senegal on Sunday.

Pearce told talkSPORT that Henderson is the 'starting point with the togetherness' in Gareth Southgate's squad.

He went on to add: "He's driving it on and getting us over the line. When he came on in the USA game we were flat as a pancake.

"We're not privy to see what goes on on the training pitch and around the camp and how he leads it and at his club but I tell you what he drives it as much as Gareth Southgate, make no mistake about that.

"He's played his part today, he's probably had more influence on the game than Jude Bellingham. But we want Jude Bellingham in the team because we think there's improvement.

"You need a Jordan Henderson around every football team in world football, I'm telling you."