England midfielder Jordan Henderson joked that England players do not need Viagra to fully prepare for their World Cup round of 16 clash with Mexico at the “Estadio Azteca“, BTA reported.
Suggestions have emerged on social media that Thomas Tuchel's team are using the erectile dysfunction drug to combat the effects of altitude sickness in Mexico City, which is more than 2,000 metres above sea level.
After Tuchel denied the rumour, Henderson was later asked how his team was coping with the difficult conditions and he joked: “Well, the Viagra helped, I think... I'm kidding!“
“The players are very adaptable, really, and they just deal with things“, he said, referring to FIFA's failed attempts to move the kick-off time and the rowdy Mexicans who were keeping vigil outside England's hotel.
“Like the kick-off time yesterday, whether we play at 12:00, whether we play at 18:00 (local time), ... it doesn't really bother us. We just come here to do our job, which is to be the best version of ourselves, to be together, to compete, to give it our all for each other and for the nation at home, to make them proud of us and to try to win a football match. Anything we can't influence, like opening times, altitude, or other things in the hotel, is out of our control, so we just have to find solutions, which we're pretty good at.“