After Jordan Henderson again captained the side yesterday in the 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park, the signs continue to become more and more apparent to everyone associated with Liverpool Football Club that he is the one to take over the captaincy permanently from legend Steven Gerrard, who will depart to the MLS at the end of the season, and lead the Reds forward in the coming years to strive to once again become an established Champions League competing side.
England international Henderson has most certainly proven his critics wrong for good in the past 18 months and has become a man which Liverpool can depend on; a player who will never give up and always give his best whilst on the field. He has demonstrated his quality in the middle of the park in a way which assures the fans and supporters that he is capable of running a game with his high bursts of energy and superb stamina levels, who is always the first man to initiate a counter attack as well as charging back to defend against the on-rushing opposition. The midfielder’s first touch and quality of pass, both short and long, has drastically improved and now fits the bill for a player to fill the huge void of the ultimate “fan favourite” that will be left by the current Liverpool captain.
A man who shows unreal amounts of passion and enthusiasm for the club is still not the complete package however, as the 24 year old is continuing to improve his technical ability and quality of leadership even further, and by adding even more goals to his game from midfield, he is heading in the right direction to become a massive star in the Red shirt.
Henderson spoke to Sky Sports News yesterday after they overcame Paul Lambert’s side to continue their recent unbeaten run. “I thought we were fantastic at times with the ball and could have scored a few more,” Henderson said. “The most important thing for me was the way we defended. We were resilient throughout the game.”
He continued to show his admiration for his likely predecessor and his pride on behalf of the team. “Stevie has still got a big part to play for us this season. We’ve got the likes of him, Daniel (Sturridge) and Adam (Lallana) to come back. They’re big players for us as a team so hopefully they can make a big contribution between now and the end of the season when they come back.”
The praise that Jordan Henderson has received from many greats in the game, and particularly captain Steven Gerrard and manager Brendan Rodgers in the last week epitomises his growing importance to the club. Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo: “He has the respect of the dressing room. I certainly believe Jordan has everything you need to be a great captain. He is a fantastic professional who tries to lead by example in every training session and every game. He’s improving all the time with experience. I’ve got great respect for Jordan Henderson and I know everyone else at the club feels the same. He’s a fantastic player for me to hand over the armband to.”
The respect has been gained by the supporters too, especially after he struggled to establish himself and make himself worthy of the price tag paid. Rodgers told the Guardian: “He’s really grown not just as a player, but as a young lad. You see his quality, his leadership and power. When Steven isn’t on the field, he’s a real leader. There is no question he can go on and become captain at the club.”
It really does signify how he is perfect for the vacancy that will be in the summer, and he has the rest of the season too, in the Premier League, FA and Capital One Cups and the Europa League to really push himself to make it official. With Steven Gerrard picking up injuries and not playing every game for the Reds, Henderson will continue to have chances to pull on the armband and show everyone what he is capable of. A big 5 months for him, a period which could potentially set himself up for the next decade.
