Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has described Jordan Henderson as “undervalued” in recent seasons.
The 29-year-old is a leading candidate for the PFA Player of the Year after helping lead Liverpool to a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League table ahead of Manchester City. Despite not contributing a lot as far as goals and assists are concerned, he has been hailed for his unmistakable leadership qualities that have earned him rave reviews, and rightly so.
Ferdinand was the latest to join in on applauding Henderson for his achievements.
Speaking on BT Sport before Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid (BT Sport 2, 11/3/20), he said, “Of course they have [missed Henderson],” Ferdinand said. “A fantastic player, a leader, his personality, his expectations of others, the demands he puts on others is a huge element of his game that was probably undervalued until the last few months.”
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“He’s the one that’s always out there gesturing to others, shouting, getting people into position, dragging people about, and that is what you need. These type of games need people to take charge. Klopp can only do so much from the touchlines.
“You need players on the pitch who can actually turn and push and cajole people into the right positions to get the result you need to get over the line”.
Having previously been described as “Mr Marmite“, Henderson has proved a lot of his critics wrong over the years, and now they understand what the skipper brings to our team.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has been telling the media that he is an “outstanding” player and became the first Liverpool captain since Steven Gerrard to lift the European Cup, making the captaincy his own in the process.
Ferdinand is spot on with his plaudits, and Henderson deserves every bit of credit that he has received this season. He is about to do what no Liverpool captain has done for many years, having the chance to win the Champions League and the league.