For all those doubters, please give the man time

At the end of the day, Liverpool bought Jordan Henderson for the long term. Both Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli saw something in the 21 year old which made them believe that spending upwards of £20million for the player was a good long term investment. Going by some people’s reactions to Henderson’s performances in the U21 Championships, you would be forgiven for thinking we had just spent a fortune on a complete dud.

Although it is from a small minority, complaining about a player’s performance after watching him for three games in a side managed by Stuart Pearce is not the best way to assess the talents of a player. I think most, like me, will hold judgement at least until the end of next season, to see how Jordan has progressed as a player.

Some of the frustration surrounding the transfer is of course the belief that we overspent, and that the money could have been put to better use on an older, proven foreign talent. Understandably there is a desire for immediate success after the trials and tribulations of the previous ownership, as well as the fact the Reds have gone 20 years without winning the league.

There is an understandable fear that now that we actually do have money, nobody wants to see us waste it on players who are not worthy of their valuation. Overpriced English players has been the theme of many a fan’s argument so far this window, and a few will pounce on the opportunity when things don’t go so well for players such as Henderson.