Former Liverpool midfielder Ronnie Whelan singled out current captain Jordan Henderson as his pick for the Reds’ player of the season so far in an interview with Irish media outlet The 42.
The ex-Republic of Ireland international lauded the 29-year-old for the manner in which he “stood up” in last week’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid and feels that nobody else in Jurgen Klopp’s squad has a stronger influence on the rest of the team.
Speaking to The 42, Whelan said: “If you are asking me which Liverpool player gets player of the year then it would have to be Jordan Henderson. He is the one who stood up against Atletico Madrid, he was the one who was the energy in the team and tried to drag them along. When he’s not in the team that same energy is just not there. I cannot think of anything that has a bigger influence on their team that Jordan Henderson.
“He is that important now. That role he plays, his passing is much better, his understanding of what’s happening around him. He doesn’t just react to what’s going on, he is seeing things before others around him.”
He added: “There is only one contender for player of the year. It has to be Jordan Henderson because no player in any team have had someone drive their team on like him. Manchester City haven’t had one who has been really, really outstanding.”
It isn’t hard to see why Whelan feels that Henderson is such a vital cog in the current Liverpool team. It hardly seems coincidental that the Reds have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions at a time when he has either been injured (he incurred a hamstring problem in the first leg defeat to Atletico last month) or just coming back from that layoff. Prior to that, the Reds had been beaten only twice all season.
Even in the match against the La Liga side last week in which he returned to action having not played for three weeks, the skipper did his utmost to try and inspire Liverpool to get the result they needed. He made 80 passes against Diego Simeone’s side at Anfield, only three fewer than fellow starting midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain combined. He also had the best passing accuracy of the three with 82.5% and had more touches of the ball (87) than his midfield partners. [via WhoScored]
Where Whelan isn’t entirely accurate is in saying that Henderson’s passing has greatly improved – the captain’s 84.5% passing success rate this season is down on the 87.2% he managed last term and virtually back to the 84.4% that he recorded the previous campaign (as per WhoScored). However, nobody else in Klopp’s squad has won more tackles per game (2.2), supporting Whelan’s claim about the importance of the England midfielder to the Reds.
However, the captain’s midfield influence seemed to be badly missed during Liverpool’s recent slump and, if the Premier League season does resume from its current hiatus, at least the 29-year-old will have had ample time to regain full fitness. If he can pick up where he left off and inspire his team to end a three-decade wait for a league title, Whelan’s proclamation of him as a potential Player of the Year candidate would seem a fair one.
Liverpool fans, do you agree with Whelan’s assessment of Henderson? Comment below with your views!
