Jordan Henderson has been a key member of Liverpool’s success in recent seasons.
Graeme Souness has told Off the Ball that Jordan Henderson deserved credit for the manner in which he has turned his career around at Liverpool because he was a player who was nearly sold by Brendan Rodgers, and even Jurgen Klopp ‘wasn’t quite sure’ about him.
But the Anfield great thinks that Liverpool’s captain now has ‘every chance’ of winning the Player of the Year award, and whilst he may not have the qualities of a Kevin de Bruyne or a David Silva, Souness thinks he is a player who gets the best out of his teammates through sheer determination.
During the early part of Henderson’s Liverpool career, he was playing behind a certain Steven Gerrard, so it was understandable why things would have been difficult.
But in recent years, he has taken his game to another level, lifted the European Cup, and is on the verge of lifting the Premier League. It’s a change in form that has impressed a certain Graeme Souness.
“I think he has every chance of winning that individual honour,” Souness told Off the Ball. “I don’t think that will be important to him. He looks like a real team player and a solid character.
“You have to give him great credit for dealing with the criticism that came his way during his early days at Liverpool. I think Brendan Rodgers was trying to sell him to Fulham at one point.
“I think when Jurgen Klopp was there, he wasn’t quite sure whether he was totally for him and he has imposed himself on Jurgen Klopp. He is saying ‘I am going to be that good, you just cannot leave me out’.
“And when you see him playing. Yes, he’s not got the cute silky pass a De Bruyne would have or a Siva would have. But he has got an unbelievable appetite for hard work. He makes the rest of them run around with him through his enthusiasm and his aggression. He is exemplary and there’s a real chance he’d win it.”
Whilst Henderson could be a real contender for the PFA’s Player of the Year award, it would be surprising if the individual accolade falls into his path.
It could be argued that his own teammates have produced better performances than him this season, like a Virgil van Dik or a Sadio Mane.
Manchester City’s creative spark, De Bruyne, is another player who might find himself on that list, but the performances from the above players in a team that is utterly dominating might just prove to be too much.
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