"'It shows you can never give up. You've got to bounce back'"

Dean Henderson has endured personal loss and injuries but the keeper has battled his way back into the England side

- David Hytner

Dean Henderson had to have feared that the moment would never come, especially during the tough times and there have been plenty of those. When it finally did, in England's 3-1 victory against Finland on Sunday, it was emotional and for so many reasons.

The Crystal Palace goalkeeper found out on Saturday that he was in the starting XI for the Nations League tie in Helsinki, 1,431 days after he won his first England cap as a half-time substitute in the 3-0 friendly win against Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

The excitement surged as he made the arrangements to get his family out to the game. The only way was to charter a plane, as needs must. Yet his thoughts did not stray too far from the man who would not be there; the one who had always been there.

"My old man ... we lost him in the summer," Henderson says, and it is impossible not to feel the rawness of it all. "It would have been great for him to be watching so it's been emotional - 100% mixed emotions. But listen, I know I've just got to keep doing him proud. He didn't miss any of my matches; the journey we went on was phenomenal. We've just got to keep it continuing."