With his succession to the throne rarely looking in doubt over the past two years, Liverpool are reportedly getting set to make things good and official by appointing midfielder Jordan Henderson club captain before they leave on their pre-season tour of Australia, Malaysia and Finland.
“I’ve always wanted to take more responsibility, especially at the stage of my career I’m at. I feel I’m getting a bit older now, a bit more mature and of course I want to take more responsibility for the team but, at the same time, I think it’s up to all of us as a team to take more responsibility on the pitch and make sure we put in good performances,” explained the 25-year old in a recent interview with Goal. “When I’ve been vice-captain I’ve just tried to do my best for the team as I always have and to learn as much as I can from Stevie, like I have from when I first came to the club. But we’ve got a lot of captains and a lot of leaders in the dressing room so I’m sure whoever he picks, the lads will be right behind him.”
If boss Brendan Rodgers choice was supposed to be a secret, it’s been a poorly guarded one with the ex-Sunderland man the obvious front-runner for quite some time. While he may not be first choice for a number of Kopites the world ’round, the man who vacated the armband is just fine with it.
“I certainly believe Jordan has everything you need to be a great captain,” Steven Gerrard told the Liverpool ECHO back in January. “He’s a fantastic professional who tries to lead by example in every training session and in every game. He can become a great captain for this club. He’s a fantastic player for me to hand the armband over to,” continued the 35-year old Reds legend and current LA Galaxy midfielder. “I’ve got great respect for Jordan Henderson and I know everyone else at the club feels the same. He’s a true professional and a very strong character. Every day he’s in the gym doing extra work.”
