Jude Bellingham ‘amazing’ but Liverpool warned he cannot replace Henderson

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Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham would be an ‘amazing’ Liverpool signing but should not be viewed as a Jordan Henderson replacement at Anfield, former Premier League defender Stephen Kelly tells the BBC Football Daily podcast.

It’s no coincidence that the decline of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield has coincided with a loss of form at full-back too. When the Reds were at their rampant best, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson flying down the flanks like bullet trains, you would often see Henderson, Fabinho or Gini Wijnaldum drop in and provide cover in defence.

Now, with Wijnaldum gone, and with Henderson and Fabinho seemingly past their best, the balance of the entire Klopp system appears to have been shaken off it’s axis.

“When Henderson is fit, that’s great because you know he brings that energy. But because he’s getting injured all the time, that shows he cannot do it on a regular basis. So you need to replace him,” says Kelly, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham full-back.

“That has been coming for a while. The rest of the players in there, Fabinho has not been the same. (Stefan) Bajcetic; excellent. But can you rely on an 18-year-old?”

Who can replace Jordan Henderson at Liverpool?

Liverpool, per The Athletic, have made the £100 million-rated Bellingham their number one summer target. Even if the England international was to arrive, Kelly believes Klopp would need another, more defensively-minded addition.

“Bellingham going there would be amazing for them,” the Irishman adds. “But I don’t think you want him replacing Henderson because you don’t want him to do that job of covering the full-back. The middle of the park really sets out how Liverpool play with the full-backs getting high and (the midfielders) covering their positions.

“It’s so hard if you don’t have those players available. It’s a very difficult decision for Liverpool to be in.”

Liverpool, according to Daily Mail, are also keen on Fulham powerhouse Joao Palhinha. A new-look partnership of Palhinha and Bellingham, one sitting while the other drives forward, could potentially lay the foundations for Klopp to build a new Anfield dynasty from the rubble of the old one.