Jude Bellingham feels he improves every time Jordan Henderson is on the pitch. The Liverpool captain started for England on Tuesday.
Jordan Henderson started for England at the World Cup on Tuesday as they beat Wales 3-0. It was an interesting midfield from a Liverpool point of view – Henderson, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
Given the Reds have been linked with the latter two, it’s a midfield we might just see at Anfield next season. Though, there’s a lot of wishful thinking going on there.
What isn’t wishful thinking, though, is that Bellingham loves playing alongside Henderson. The 19-year-old admitted as much after the Wales game, saying that Liverpool’s captain makes things easier for him.
“I think we had that high energy today,” Bellingham told the BBC. “We realised in the game the other day that we weren’t aggressive enough, we were a little bit too passive.
“So it was important for us to be a bit more on the front foot and Hendo brings that kind of intensity every time he plays.
“When he gives you that confidence to go and press, I can push on and Declan [Rice] can be aggressive. We won a lot of balls high up the pitch which was key for us.”
Jude Bellingham praises Jordan Henderson
That is certainly Henderson’s strength. The 31-year-old improves everyone around him, increasing the intensity and pressing as well as anyone around.
England certainly missed that press against the USA but they were brilliant at it on Tuesday. Henderson pushed the team forward and kept energy levels high. Bellingham felt that first-hand and we can only hope he wants more of it at club level, too.
He’s the player we’d want replacing Henderson long-term above any other. Liverpool do seem intent on making that happen – we’ll see how far that desire extends.
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