Henderson reveals his thoughts on a potential Liverpool return for Coutinho

Jordan Henderson has hinted that he would like to see Philippe Coutinho back at Liverpool, but admits the decision ultimately lies with Jurgen Klopp.

Coutinho and Henderson played alongside one another for five years, prior to the Brazilian joining Barcelona in January 2018.

There have been links with the 27-year-old making a return to Anfield this summer, having fallen out of favour at the Nou Camp, and struggling to make an impact on loan at Bayern Munich.

Speaking to Sport, Henderson gave his take on Coutinho’s future, suggesting he wouldn’t be against the idea of him returning to Liverpool:

Phil is a good friend of mine. I think he is an exceptional footballer, he has everything, he has a great attitude and he loves football.

So, of course, for me it would always be welcome, but it is not up to me.

It is probably best to ask the manager that. The boys loved him, so if you ask any of them, I’m sure they’ll say they would love to have him back.

But I think his time here has passed, he has moved and I hope that in the near future we will see the same Phil we saw here.

Read Liverpool Verdict

I thought Coutinho was a fantastic player for Liverpool, but I wouldn’t take him back for various reasons. Firstly, there is a strong argument to say that he simply isn’t the player he was, considering his struggles at both Barca and Bayern. He only managed 22 La Liga starts in his first full season with the latter, and just 12 in the Bundesliga at the latter.

He turns 28 this summer, too, so he also doesn’t represent a long-term addition, so I would be surprised to see Klopp splash out on the £63million-rated star.

There are younger, more suitable options, such as Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz, who has been continually linked with Liverpool. He represents the future, rather than a short-term fix, averaging 2.3 key passes and 2.4 dribbles per game in the league in 2019/20, compared to Coutinho’s 1.4 apiece.

Should Coutinho make a return to Liverpool, I certainly wouldn’t see it as a disaster, but the past two years have shown that the Reds have moved on without him while his career has stuttered.