There are nights in football that should be nothing but pure celebration. England beating Mexico 3-2 in a last-16 thriller, going down to ten men and still finding a way through — that is the stuff of tournament legend. But for Jordan Henderson, Sunday evening took a turn that nobody could have anticipated, and certainly nobody would have wished for.

The former Liverpool captain, a man who has seen and experienced virtually everything this game can throw at a person, suffered a broken arm in circumstances that were as cruel as they were bizarre. Henderson, who had been an unused substitute during the match, lost his footing whilst climbing over the advertising boards at the Azteca Stadium during the post-match celebrations. The injury was serious enough to require oxygen on the pitch, and he was subsequently stretchered off and taken to hospital.

At 36, Henderson knows better than most that these moments can define careers. The diagnosis is a broken arm — surgery is expected — and the tournament is almost certainly over for him as a player. Yet the reports emerging from the England camp carry a note of cautious optimism.

Marc Guehi, speaking on Lions' Den, offered the most direct update on his team-mate's condition. His words were measured but warm, exactly the kind of thing you would hope to hear in difficult circumstances. "Hendo's a good man, he's in a better place than he was yesterday," Guehi said. "It was obviously scary for him and his family and for everyone else, but we're just glad that he's on the road to a speedy recovery."

That phrase — speedy recovery — will be the one Henderson himself will be clinging to. A broken arm sustained away from the action, in the cruellest of accidental fashions, is the sort of blow that tests a man's character. Anyone who followed his years at Liverpool knows he has that in abundance.

England manager Thomas, speaking to the press shortly after the final whistle, was candid about the emotional complexity of the evening. A famous victory on one hand, a valued member of his squad lying in a hospital bed on the other. "My emotions are very mixed," the England boss admitted. "I'm just proud of the mentality and the attitude. Round of 32, round of 16 is the moment in tournaments where you find a way to win. We did it with pure mentality, with heart. We overcame every obstacle that was thrown at us. I am so proud of the mentality and the will of this team. It is a very, very special night for us."

But Thomas did not allow the joy of the result to overshadow his concern for Henderson. "Mixed feelings also because I am exhausted, of course, and emotional, but also sad because Jordan got injured. He injured his wrist. He is at the moment at the hospital, so it is quite a serious injury. It just doesn't fit to the evening that Jordan is now not with us. I don't know the procedure what is going on. I just did the press, and the doc told me he's in hospital."

There is something deeply poignant about that image. The dressing room buzzing, the scenes of celebration rippling through the squad, and Henderson absent from all of it — not through choice but through a freak moment that could not have been scripted by even the most dramatic of football writers.

The confirmed details of the match itself paint quite a picture. A spot-kick from Harry Kane and a double from Jude Bellingham got England over the line against Mexico, with the Three Lions reduced to ten men at some point during the contest. It was the kind of gritty, character-driven performance that Henderson himself has embodied throughout his career — which perhaps makes his absence from the celebrations all the more painful.

What is clear is that Henderson will remain with the England squad for the rest of their tournament despite being unable to play. That speaks to the kind of influence he carries, even at this stage of his career. You do not send someone like that home. You keep him close.

England now face Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami on Saturday evening, with Guehi set for a fascinating personal duel against his Manchester City colleague Erling Haaland, who has been in devastating form throughout the competition, netting seven goals including a brace against Brazil to send Norway through to the last eight. It promises to be quite a contest.

For Henderson, the hope is that the surgery goes smoothly and that recovery is as swift as those around him are predicting. For those of us who watched him lift that Premier League trophy, who lived through the pain and the glory of his years at Liverpool, we know he will handle this with exactly the dignity and resilience you would expect. The road back starts now.