Jordan Henderson suggests what he’d say to Mohamed Salah about leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia

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Jordan Henderson has been asked if he’d advise Mohamed Salah not to leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia.

Henderson has this week completed a move to Ajax from Saudi side Al Ettifaq. Having pushed to leave Liverpool and join the Pro League club in the summer, it has been an almighty climb down from the former Reds captain.

Henderson’s experience has led to some murmurings that the Saudi project isn’t quite taking off as initially expected. In turn, some Reds fans will now be hoping that Salah’s long-rumoured move to the country next summer is beginning to look in jeopardy.

But put to him in quotes from The Mirror whether his time at Al Ettifaq would lead to him dissuading the Egyptian from making the same journey, Henderson said it would not.

“No definitely not,” replied the 33-year-old. “Everyone is different. Big players are there now loving every second of it. You might get others that don’t settle or something happens in their private life.

“Things change quickly. I wouldn’t speak badly of the league or the clubs or anything like that. I have full respect for the opportunity I was given to go there.”

Henderson still talking up Saudi

This is fair enough from Henderson really. Obviously, the Pro League experience has gone well for some players. Salah need only look to three of his former Liverpool teammates for proof of that.

Sadio Mane in particular seems to be enjoying himself playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Al Nassr.

Mane has scored 12 goals in 30 games this season and after looking a little like he’d run his race at the top level, appears to have hit his stride again.

Fabinho is another who isn’t seemingly regretting his move. The 30-year-old has been a fixture in the Al Ittihad team and looked happy and relaxed when at Anfield recently.

Finally, Henderson’s old Ettifaq colleague Gini Wijnaldum has rediscovered his own goal-scoring form, bagging six goals in 16 games so far this term.

But for those three success stories, there are a couple of not so happy endings. Henderson’s story is obviously the most extreme and it would be interesting to hear what he’d actually be saying to Salah in private.

There’s also Roberto Firmino, though. Although it now looks as though Bobby will stay put at Al Ahli until at least the end of the season, there were claims that the Brazilian hasn’t been all that pleased.

After scoring a hat-trick on his very first game for Al Ahli, Firmino hasn’t scored since. This has led to claims that he could follow Henderson and leave after just six months.

As Hendo says, everybody is different. What’s clear is that the level is far below what could have been expected, though. Mo will have to think long and hard before giving up what he has at Anfield for that.