Klopp Praises Henderson For Coping As Gerrard Replacement

By Max Wise

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised Jordan Henderson for his ability to lead the club after replacing Steven Gerrard as captain.

Steven Gerrard called time on his Liverpool career at the end of the 2014/2015 season, and Henderson was given the monumental task as his replacement, which Klopp describes as ‘the most difficult job in the last 500 years of football.'

Gerrard led Liverpool to win the UEFA Champions League in 2005, scoring many classic goals in his Reds career, but one trophy that eluded him was the Premier League.

Henderson, who joined the Reds from Sunderland in the summer of 2011, could, however, become the first player to lead Liverpool to a Premier League trophy in 29 years as they continue their battle with Manchester City to win the title.

Henderson came off the bench to score in Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Southampton on Friday, and earned the praise of his manager afterwards.

"That goal meant so much to him and to us. He's just a fantastic boy. He deserves all the praise but he doesn't get too much of it," Klopp said, as quoted by the Telegraph.

“Hendo, from my point of view, is a brilliant player. He's our skipper, he's a fantastic character.

"If I had to write a book about Hendo, it would be 500 pages. So I'm very positive.

"The most difficult job in the last 500 years of football was to replace Steven Gerrard. In the mind of the people, it was like, if it's not Stevie, then it's not good enough.

"And he has dealt with that outstandingly well, so he can be really proud. Now we have to think of the future and he is a very important part of our team."