After seemingly falling out of favour with Jurgen Klopp last season, Jordan Henderson has been ever-present in 2016/17.
Graeme Souness has told talkSport that Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson has become every bit as important to the club as playmaking star Philippe Coutinho.
Henderson has been subjected to almost relentless scrutiny since he arrived at Anfield from Sunderland burdened by a huge £20 million transfer fee in 2011, as reported by The Telegraph, with further doubts arising from the club’s decision to bestow him the captain’s armband following the emotional departure of legendary leader Steven Gerrard.
However, the 26-year-old has answered the critics by quietly impressing at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield this season with Liverpool surpassing their points tally at this stage from the 2013/14 season in which they narrowly finished runners-up.
And Souness believes that, while the effervescent skill and long-range screamers have understandably transformed Coutinho into the posterboy of the current Liverpool crop, Henderson’s importance cannot be underestimated.
“He is not a silky player… but every team needs someone like Jordan Henderson,” the former Liverpool player and manager told talkSPORT.
“He puts the ball under pressure at every opportunity, he has great athleticism, he looks to have a great attitude, he gets to the ball, he makes people make passes they don’t want to make.
“He is very important to that team, important in a less obvious way than Coutinho.”
Souness clearly knows what it takes to become a crucial cog in the engine of a title-challenging Liverpool side, the snarling enforcer lifting five first division titles in the late 70s and early 80s.
And, while the season is still very much in its infancy, there is a growing belief that Henderson can be the first Liverpool captain to lift the Premier League trophy come May.
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