THIS PLAYER HAS BEEN A HUGE INFLUENCE ON MY CAREER

Jordan Henderson has revealed that the presence of Steven Gerrard convinced him to move to Liverpool from Sunderland in 2011.

Henderson, 26, is currently Liverpool’s club captain after taking over the reigns from Gerrard, who opted to leave the Reds and join MLS side LA Galaxy before announcing his retirement.

The England international told The Players’ Tribune that Liverpool’s iconic number eight, Gerrard, was his favourite England player as he grew up.

“One of the reasons Liverpool was significant to me was because it meant sharing a dressing room with Steven Gerrard,” Henderson said. “He was my favourite England player when I was growing up.

“He has also been a big influence on my career, first of all from afar and watching him on TV and then even more so when I got to know him properly.”

Henderson moved to Merseyside for a fee believed to be in the region of £16million, after starring in a number of positions for boyhood club Sunderland.

Now one of the first names on Jurgen Klopp’s team sheet, Henderson’s importance to the Liverpool side has never been more apparent as he continues to struggle with injury.

The Reds’ number 14 has featured just six times in 2017, missing nine games as Liverpool struggle for consistency. Just four wins in those 15 matches have seen Klopp’s side stutter in Henderson’s absence.

Since his move, Henderson has made a huge 239 league and cup appearances in a red shirt, scoring 23 times and supplying 38 assists.

 

ARIS