Henderson will no doubt be one of the leading candidates to replace Gerrard in the summer
He may have more than lived up to his billing as Steven Gerrard’s deputy in the captain’s absence, but Jordan Henderson doesn’t believe he shouldn’t be considered as the automatic choice to replace the out-going legend in the summer.
Following a slightly embarrassing incident, instigated by Mario Balotelli a few weeks ago, Jordan Henderson has come back all the stronger, scoring goals, assisting team mates and generally leading the team in the way Gerrard has for so many years. But the man currently leading the team out in each match believes there are many strong candidates to replace him.
Speaking to the official Liverpool magazine, Henderson said:”Next season we’ll see what happens because it might not be me succeeding Stevie, it might be someone else.
“There are a lot of strong leaders in the dressing room. There are a lot of big characters in the team – down to earth, humble people.
“Mama [Sakho], Emre [Can] and Skrts [Martin Skrtel] have developed a strong collective understanding. You can see their passion, they’re desperate to win, they give everything.
“Studge [Daniel Sturridge] is a big character. Lucas [Leiva] is too. I can only do the current job the best I can.”
In some ways, Jordan must know that being so humble and mature about his situation stands him in good stead come the summer, as there is no doubting that the likes of Lucas, Skrtel and Can would be equally popular candidates to replace Gerrard but, in reality, it’s unlikely that Rodgers would look elsewhere.
He continued: “Stevie’s the perfect captain really. He’s a leader on and off the field.
“He’s someone we all look up to. He always puts the team first. He’s very unselfish.
“When I became vice-captain, I tried to learn as much from him as I could.
“The thing I’ve probably learnt most from Stevie is the way he overcomes the disappointments. I think that defines you more than anything.
“I can relate to it. If I look back to my first season here, it wasn’t easy. But it made me stronger.
“I always think of losing the FA Cup [final to Chelsea] rather than winning the League Cup. Setbacks like that inspire you to want more – to progress and to win.”
Should Henderson replace Gerrard in the summer, or would you favour one of the other candidates indicated above? Let us know who you’d prefer as captain below.
