10 March 2023 , 21:46
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Steven Gerrard has named Xabi Alonso as the best midfielder he played alongside at Liverpool but claimed Jordan Henderson was "very selfless and a leader".
The club legend spent 17 years at Anfield, often being the driving force from the middle of the park. He played alongside a host of individuals, but it was the Spanish star who was signed in 2004 by Rafa Benitez who left the biggest mark on Gerrard.
He was also more than impressed though with the current skipper on Merseyside, who had been criticised this season amid continued talk of a summer reshuffle. Henderson is now into his 30s and, after a slow start to life at Liverpool, has been a crucial part of the success experienced during the Jurgen Klopp era.
Gerrard said on the LFCTV show When Stevie Met Salah : “The best I played with? I used to enjoy playing with Jordan [Henderson], because Jordan was very self-less, he was a leader, he’d do a lot of running for me and I was older at the time so I needed Jordan’s energy. But if you’re talking about an individual player that I used to love was Xabi Alonso. Alonso used to allow me to play as a No.10. So, I could get more shots on goal, more goals, more assists.”
Henderson is among several stalwarts in the middle of the park with Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita all among them. Several of those could be moved on in the summer as the club look to rejig their midfield to remain competitive.
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Gerrard's comments do highlight Henderson's influence however with the former Sunderland man often praised for the unseen work he does. Klopp has been willing to keep senior figures around the group, namely Milner, for the influence they have and Henderson could now enter that bracket as the club make decisions on how to get the best from their engine room.
Jordan Henderson played alongside Steven Gerrard early in his Reds career (GETTY)Youngsters like Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho have not consistently had the desired impact and Jurgen Klopp is set to go hard in the market come the summer. Jude Bellingham is thought to be their prime target with Chelsea's Mason Mount also on their radar as his future remains unclear.
“We have to make our own plans but based on the way this club is led, it’s obviously different to other clubs, so that’s how it is, but it’s worked out so far so we will have to see if it will work still or if we have to adapt. It’s not like ‘today was not good and now we have to change’.
“This is clear, it’s always clear that this team has a wonderful history and the way this club is led, by not splashing the money and just having a look if it worked out or not. Our transfers always have to be on point so that makes it really tricky, we cannot make four transfers before we know who will leave the club.”