Stan Collymore has suggested that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has proven him wrong to become an “intrinsic” part of Jurgen Klopp’s team.
The skipper has been in fine form of late, and out in a typically industrious performance against Manchester City at the weekend.
And writing in a column for the Mirror entitled: “Jordan Henderson has proven me wrong – he’s become intrinsic part of Liverpool’s success”, Collymore said: “I was with a lot of Liverpool fans who also wondered if Henderson should even be in the team, let alone be captain.
“But the pair [Collymore also made reference to James Milner] haven’t just answered the questions about them, they have become intrinsic parts of the team and the dressing-room.
“Henderson, in particular, given the way he has grown into the captaincy.
“Finding a new leader after Steven Gerrard was always going to be difficult, but Henderson has stepped up brilliantly.”
OPINION
Full credit to Henderson, you will struggle to find a player who grafts as hard as he does. The Liverpool skipper is sometimes under appreciated, and that’s probably in part due to the fact that his stats don’t fully do him justice. So far this season, for instance, he has 1.8 tackles and one interception per game to his name, as well as making just 0.5 key passes and 0.4 successful dribbles per match, as per Whoscored. In that respect, he appears to be underwhelming, but the numbers only tell half the story. Henderson’s presence on the pitch is immense, and his leadership is a crucial foundation on which the more prolific and gifted footballers in the side can build. He does the dirty work that nobody else is willing to do, and his work rate is nothing short. His efforts deserve more recognition, and hopefully there will be more like Collyumore who hold their hands up and admit their mistakes.
