Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says he had never planned to leave the club this summer.
Henderson shocked the world of football by agreeing to move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq after 12 years at Anfield.
The transfer prompted a huge amount of backlash for a player who won everything during his time at Liverpool. And, speaking to The Athletic for the first time since his exit, Henderson claimed that a departure hadn’t been on his mind. Not initially at least.
“That was very much the case [that he was planning for the season with Liverpool],” says the 33-year-old. “I had a chat with the manager at the end of last season, which was about the season coming up, the players that we were looking to bring in and what his plans were.
“I went away over the summer and I had an intense period of training to make sure that I was in the best shape possible when I returned to Liverpool.
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“There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing. I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. He was very honest with me.
“I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming in my position.”
Henderson opens up on Liverpool exit
It’s no surprise to hear that Henderson wasn’t expecting to leave Liverpool this summer. You’d be hard pushed to find anybody that was.
But what is difficult to accept is the reasons why the former skipper took the decision that it was time for him to go.
Liverpool were poor last season, that’s obvious. It was so clear that change was needed in the team, and in the midfield in particular.
Of course, Klopp could see this, the whole world could. The whole world it seems, but Jordan himself.
At 33 and having had the season he just had, there’s no way Henderson seriously thought that he’d continue to be a starter for the Reds this year.
If he did, then there’s not much Jurgen could do. It was never going to happen. New blood was needed. With the player pushing to leave and a £12m offer on the table, that was that.
Some will see this from Henderson’s point of view as someone who wanted to play as much football as possible. But with the club going through a rebuild, you’d like to think your long-standing captain would adjust his role and get behind that. Obviously not on this occasion. Incredibly disappointing.