Liverpool midfield will have to be ready for relentless Jordan Henderson – Andy Robertson

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Andy Robertson has sent an early warning to Liverpool’s midfield as they prepare to face Jordan Henderson on Saturday.

Henderson spent 12 years with the Reds, captaining the side to Premier League and Champions League glory.

Having left Liverpool under a cloud in 2023, the all-action midfielder arrived back in English football with Brentford this summer.

Despite being 35 years old, Henderson has forced his way into the Bees midfield, and will face Liverpool for the first time since leaving this weekend.

The Reds have occasionally struggled to match the physical approach Brentford tend to adopt, and will know they must temper a determined Henderson to stand any chance of a result at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Having played alongside the England international for six years at Anfield, Robertson knows Henderson extremely well. And as Liverpool gear up for another Premier League battle, the left-back has told his teammates what to expect from his former skipper.

Jordan Henderson backed to be ‘at it’ vs Liverpool

Liverpool fans have a habit of downgrading Henderson to less than the player that he was. But the truth is that the former Sunderland man was a huge part of the Reds’ success under Jurgen Klopp.

He may no longer be quite the same player, but he is showing at Brentford that he does still have the quality to feature in the Premier League week in, week out.

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Liverpool will be faced with that on Saturday, and with Henderson no doubt desperate to prove a point against some of his former teammates, Robertson has sent a message to the Reds’ midfield.

“It’s such a difficult team to play against especially when we’re coming up against an old captain,” the Scot told LFCTV with a widening smile.

“What he did for our club is amazing, what a servant to our club. He’s a legend. He managed to help us bring the Premier League for the first time in a long time, lifted the Champions League.

“Look, he’s an absolute legend of this club, he’s moved on, he’s back at Brentford and I think he’s putting in performance after performance there.

“So, our midfield’s going to need to be at it, because I can say for a fact that Jordan Henderson will be at it, he was at it every single day for us and that won’t change at Brentford.”

Who will be in Liverpool’s midfield vs Brentford?

There is no question that Henderson will be revved up to go out and put on a show against Liverpool. It is up to the Reds’ chosen midfield to make sure he is not allowed to do it.

Given the miles on Henderson’s clock, the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister should have no trouble matching his energy.

After a good performance on Wednesday night, though, it would be nice to see Arne Slot stick with Curtis Jones to play against a former mentor.

Szoboszlai and Jones excelled against Eintracht Frankfurt, and the same pairing – with Florian Wirtz in front – feels like a good way of limiting Henderson’s impact.

Slot may prefer to stick Mac Allister back in, and Gravenberch will likely return if he returns to fitness in time, but Jones will know just how much this game means to Henderson, and that might be the best way of counter-acting him.