Jordan Henderson has shared what he tells Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold every day.
The Liverpool captain was sitting down with Rio Ferdinand for the BT Sport Between The Lines show (10mins 30secs).
Ferdinand was detailing Henderson’s influence in the right-hand channel. He highlighted that a lot of the work the captain does goes without acclaim, with Trent and Salah picking up the plaudits instead.
Hendo joked that he made sure to hammer home that point to his teammates at every opportunity.
“I know people don’t speak about it outside of here but I make sure I tell Trent and Mo quite often,” said the 31-year-old.
“I tell them every day that I’m sacrificing myself for those two!”
Henderson may have been joking, but the three have formed a brilliant trio down Liverpool’s right-hand side this season.
The runs that the skipper make help to create the space for Trent to create and for Salah to work his magic.
The talented Mr Henderson
Going under the radar isn’t something new for Henderson. Throughout his career his has been consistently underrated.
From Sir Alex Ferguson claiming he ran strangely, to Brendan Rodgers telling him he could leave Anfield in 2012. The captain has always had to continually fight against detractors.
But under Jurgen Klopp he has grown into his role both on and off the pitch.
There’s no denying just how good a captain Henderson is. He represents the club impeccably.
Questions that have been asked on the pitch have regularly been answered with gusto, too.
After a couple of below par performances led to him being left out for the first-leg of the Champions League tie with Inter Milan, he could have sulked.
Instead, Henderson came off the bench with Liverpool rocking. He then played a big part in steering the ship back on course.
He didn’t score or assist that night, but the influence Hendo had in the middle of the park showed exactly why he was given a new contract last summer.
As Henderson ticks into his 30’s, it remains to be seen whether he can keep up his marauding abilities. He isn’t Fabinho as a number 6, nobody is, but he has always done a good job there for Liverpool when needed.
Maybe Alexander-Arnold and Salah will only truly appreciate the ‘sacrifices’ their captain makes for them when he’s no longer bombing up and down the line at will.
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