Along the corridor that leads towards Jurgen Klopp’s office at Melwood, there is a sequence of significant pictures.
It’s not unusual for images of club legends to be on display at the training ground but this particular gallery is different: the men who adorn these walls are those who set the standards. These walls are dedicated to Liverpool captains.
All the greats are there: Steven Gerrard (473 games as skipper), Emlyn Hughes (337), Alan Hansen (195), Graeme Souness and Phil Thompson (both 147). Perched alongside them at the end of the passageway is Jordan Henderson, who has now led Liverpool on 104 occasions.
Jordan Henderson celebrates after Liverpool secured a place in the Champions League final
Henderson roars with delight following the referee’s final whistle at the Stadio Olimpico
His critics will wonder how he has reached that figure. Being Liverpool captain should command instant respect – particularly so after leading the club to an eighth European Cup final – but there is still a proportion of fans who regard him as a pale imitation of those who went before.
‘He’s got something in his game that certain fans don’t see,’ explained Ronnie Whelan, who has his own spot on the corridor after wearing the armband 83 times. ‘I know what it’s like, as in my early days I had a lot of stick come my way. But if I was fit, I played. It’s the same with Jordan.’
Shortly after Klopp arrived at Liverpool in October 2015, Henderson met his new manager. He was aware the German would have had his own views on the captaincy and was prepared to accept whatever decision Klopp made. A change, however, was never on the cards.
In the two and a half years that have followed, Henderson has become a hugely important figure for Liverpool. He plays in the same way as Whelan, doing the thankless tasks with supreme efficiency and never shirking a battle.
The Englishman leads his team out for Wednesday’s huge game against Roma on Wednesday
His influence off the field is arguably even more important.
Henderson is the main reason the dressing room has been harmonious all season. He glues the squad together, ensuring there are no cliques or division. Nobody is left isolated. Virgil van Dijk and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, for instance, credit him for helping them settle in so quickly.
Henderson has never forgotten how Gerrard and Jamie Carragher helped him when he arrived as a novice with a £16million price tag from Sunderland in 2011 and he has utilised that experience. Another story revolves around Mohamed Salah and the PFA Player of the Year awards.
The timing of the ceremony – a Sunday night, 48 hours before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Roma – meant Klopp would not allow the squad to travel to London en masse.
The 27-year-old midfielder is a hugely influential figure both on and off the pitch
Salah was disappointed, but he sought out Klopp and insisted Henderson travel to London with him. The Egyptian’s closest friends are Sadio Mane and Dejan Lovren but respect for his captain meant there was only one man he wanted alongside him.
It’s moments such as these that resonate with Klopp.
Henderson, who celebrated Liverpool’s progress to Kiev with a bottle of orange Fanta, is the conduit between the manager’s office and the dressing room and the bond between the pair has arguably never been stronger. Klopp has complete trust in the 27-year-old and the same is true of Gareth Southgate. England’s head coach advocates a leadership group in his squad and it is why he has rotated the captaincy.
But, as we creep closer to Russia, he will have watched Henderson’s influence with interest.
Harry Kane might be England’s one genuine world-class player but Henderson is precisely the kind of figure to keep harmony in the squad and ensure things run smoothly. This is a man devoid of ego, whose sole focus is relentless improvement.
Henderson leads the way as the Liverpool players thanked their supporters after the game
‘He suffers sometimes because he is not Steven Gerrard, but it’s unfair to make that comparison because they are different players,’ said Whelan.
‘But they do compare in attitude, in putting the team first. And when you captain Liverpool, it’s not about screaming and shouting. You are surrounded by good players, so you get the message across of, “Do as I do – I will lead, you follow”.
‘That is what I’ve seen from Jordan. He isn’t captain because he is Klopp’s favourite. He’s captain because he’s the right man for the job.’
He was the right man in Rome and he will be the right man in Kiev on May 26. And should he become the fifth Liverpool skipper to lift a European Cup, his place on the captains’ corridor will be there forever more.