England midfielder Jordan Henderson has rejected claims that the team have suffered from a lack of leadership in recent years.

A number of former players and pundits have questioned the leadership qualities in the England squad, pointing at their early exit from Euro 2016 as proof of a deficiency in that area.

However, Henderson - a captain at club level with Liverpool - insists that there are leaders in the team heading into Friday's World Cup qualifier with Scotland at Wembley.

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I've learned that over the years. But it doesn't really matter what other people think. It only matters what the team thinks and what the manager and the management team think," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

"They are the only important opinions that matter to us. I know there are leaders in the team, I know we've got great characters so that isn't a question in our dressing room. The question is can we got out there and perform at the highest level to win the game. I'm confident we can.

"We want to come flying out of the traps. But emotionally we need to be controlled. Aggression is really important but it needs to be the right level, not making fouls, not being silly. It's about being hungry and having the desire to win the ball, to go and score a goal. It's really important but it's a fine line between aggression and over the top."

Henderson captained England for the first time during their 0-0 draw with Slovenia last month.