Jamie Carragher has revealed the moment he knew Jordan Henderson had the desire to succeed at Liverpool.
In an interview with ESPN, the former Liverpool hero recalled an incident between Henderson and star striker Luis Suarez in training:
It took him time to find his feet. He could be a very intense character back then who would get frustrated and emotional at times, but I remember him having a spat with Luis Suarez in training one day and I just thought: ‘Do you know what? He has something.’
They didn’t come to blows or anything like that, but Jordan and Luis clashed over something and exchanged words, but Jordan stood up to him. That’s not easy as a young player, especially with Luis being one of the older, established pros, but it showed Jordan’s determination, and a lot of us, myself included, wanted him to do well because he was so enthusiastic and clearly hungry to succeed.
Henderson moved to Anfield from boyhood club Sunderland in 2011 in a deal worth £20m and struggled in his first season at the club.
He was forced to play on the right of midfield in order to fit into the team, which didn’t suit his game.
Since then Henderson has improved drastically and will captain the Reds in Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid.
Often underrated by the media and the wider footballing world, Henderson is crucial to the Reds, as he is able to break up play, cover ground quickly and produce cross-field passes to spread the opposition.
Carragher was keen not to make comparisons between Henderson and former Liverpool captains Steven Gerrard and Graeme Souness, saying.
Jordan maybe isn’t in that bracket, but where are those captains these days at any club? There are no Roy Keanes or Patrick Vieiras anymore, those warrior-type captains everyone talks about but Jordan Henderson is a far better player than people give him credit for, and the biggest thing I can say about him is that, when he is not in the Liverpool team, you notice that he is missing.
