Brendan Rodgers wanted to sell him but he stayed at Liverpool and won everything

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Liverpool do not often make mistakes but in 2012, they almost made a cardinal error.

The Reds have enjoyed a hugely successful time in recent years, with Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot both giving the fans something to cheer about.

Before these two, though, things were not looking as good, with Brendan Rodgers the man in charge before Klopp took over.

Barring an unexpected title charge in 2014, the Northern Irishman’s time in charge was very underwhelming, departing with no silverware in three seasons.

Like any manager, he made a few mistakes during his time too, and he almost made one that would have changed the trajectory of the club altogether.

But luckily for him, the player he almost sold stood his ground, with this proving to be the best choice he could have ever made, both for himself and the Liverpool fans.

Brendan Rodgers tried to include Jordan Henderson in a swap deal

To be a Liverpool captain truly is an honour of the highest order, although a player has to work incredibly hard to get the privilege of wearing the armband.

And if there is any player who, arguably, deserved it more than most after the effort he put in, it was Jordan Henderson.

He arrived for £20m from Sunderland in 2011 and looked a little bit out of his depth, with the Englishman looking like he would be another flop that was sold soon before joining.

A year later, Rodgers tried to include him in a swap deal with Fulham’s Clint Dempsey, a move that, at the time, would have looked like a great move.

However, Henderson stood his ground and refused to go, with the former Liverpool captain telling the Daily Mail in 2018 exactly how things went down.

“Brendan [Rodgers] called me in and said ‘listen, this is the offer’ and he asked me what I thought,” Henderson said.

“It implied to me that he would let me leave and it was up to me. I went back to my room. I shed a few tears. I ended up crying a little bit because it hurt so much. I had the game that night to think about it as well.”

“I spoke to my agent and told him what had happened and I said I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay and fight and try and improve and try to prove the manager wrong. My agent agreed. I spoke to my dad. He was gutted but he backed my decision to stay and fight.

“From that point, I just kept my head down. I knew I wouldn’t get as much game time as I wanted but I still had faith. I was young enough to get my head down, keep working hard, do my extra bits and prove them wrong and I feel I managed to do that by the time Brendan left.

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“There are always those moments in football – and life in general – which can decide the path and the route you go down. For me it was never an option to leave.”

Jordan Henderson is a Liverpool legend

People were always quick to criticise Henderson for not being a good footballer, but that simply is not true.

Although he was an excellent leader, he also had the talent to go alongside, with the Englishman the heartbeat of the team from midfield.

He worked hard, protected the backline and could split open a defence with a single pass, something that made him a favourite among the managers he played under.

He was also the first player to captain Liverpool to a Premier League title, an achievement that cannot be underestimated given how long it took the Reds to win one.

He departed with a Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, Super Cup and Club World Cup on his CV, proving just how important his decision to fight for his place proved to be.