Jason Cundy passionately jumped to the defence of Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson after a talkSPORT caller questioned his ability.
A talkSPORT caller rang into the radio station’s drivetime show, which Cundy and Andy Goldstein were hosting on Wednesday, to question Henderson’s place in the England team as they believe he slows the game down.
Cundy in response claimed the Liverpool captain gets a lot of unfair stick and while he may not catch everyone’s eye with his performances, he warned people that the midfielder shouldn’t be underestimated due to the unglamorous role he plays for club and country.
“I think Henderson comes in for a lot of unfair clog y’know,” said Cundy on talkSPORT (16:51, Wednesday, October 9th).
“Well he may not be the one that catches the eye all the time, a Salah, a Mane, a Firmino when you watch him play for Liverpool but he does a lot of the graft.
“Every midfielder needs someone like that in the park.
“Not really (Does Declan Rice not do that for England), right okay you take Henderson out of England, that England midfield lacks something, the point was proven when he (Garth Southgate) rested those Liverpool players for the semi-final of the Nations League, you think about that game.
“You take him out and…I understand… I get the argument when people ask what does he do? As to the untrained eye, he doesn’t catch the eye as he doesn’t score enough goals, arguably he should get more.
“But do not underestimate his role in that Liverpool team or in that England team.”
OPINION
Cundy was ready to defend Henderson to the very end on Wednesday and you could tell the talkSPORT host appreciated the midfielder’s talents. Cundy may have admitted he understands people questioning what the 29-year-old does, highlighting it’s not often you see him scoring a goal, but then kind of insulted anyone that had that view by suggesting they have an “untrained” eye. While that was a little rude, it’s understandable that he was just trying to say Henderson impresses in a way that sees him fly under the radar. The 29-year-old has pulled his weight defensively in midfield this season across his seven league outings as he has averaged 1.7 tackles per game, 0.7 interceptions per game and one clearance per match and defending is hardly a glamorous job that sees you earn plaudits (Source: WhoScored). Henderson puts his self about in midfield in order to stop his opponent’s attacks before they truly start and that deserves credit. Also, there’s a reason why the 29-year-old is captain of the club and what he does off-the-ball, i.e provide encouragement, should see him not have his purpose questioned every time he steps on a pitch.
