The Liverpool skipper is set to captain England for the first time on Tuesday.
England’s interim manager has described Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson as a fantastic leader, in comments given to the Daily Mail.
The Reds star has made a superb start to the season, playing a key role in Jurgen Klopp’s team so far.
He is now set to captain his country for the first time when England take on Slovenia on Tuesday night after Wayne Rooney was demoted to the bench for the game.
It caps a remarkable turnaround for Henderson, who has struggled to win over the doubters at both club and international level over the years.
Southgate has clearly been watching with interest, though, saying the midfielder has become a fantastic leader and is deserving of his chance.
“I think Jordan’s a fantastic leader,” he told the Daily Mail. “He’s taken an incredibly difficult job from Steven Gerrard and he’s really grown into that position. He’s a fantastic player with great leadership qualities.
“He deserves his chance tomorrow night to captain England. I’m sure for him it’s a really proud moment and his family as well.”
While Southgate was keen to highlight Henderson’s leadership skills as the reason behind his promotion, his stats from this season show it is a wise move.
So far he has posted the most accurate passes of any player in the Premier League while he also tops both the tackling stats for Liverpool.
Those are impressive numbers and show that regardless of leadership ability, Henderson deserves his chance to shine for England.
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