‘He’s more than capable of winning any football match’: Steven Gerrard insists Jordan Henderson has ‘got to start’ the Champions League final
- Liverpool face Tottenham in the Champions League final on Saturday night
- Jordan Henderson is on the verge of captaining a second straight European final
- He was dropped for the first leg against Barcelona but returned for the second
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard says Jordan Henderson must start Saturday’s Champions League final.
The Reds face Premier League rivals Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday night, bidding to win Europe’s premier competition for a sixth time.
Team captain Henderson was benched by Jurgen Klopp for his side’s away semi-final defeat to Barcelona but returned to the starting line-up for the incredible 4-0 comeback at Anfield.
Jordan Henderson is on the verge of captaining a second consecutive European final
Steven Gerrard says his former team-mate must start Saturday’s final against Tottenham
If he starts on Saturday he will become just the fifth Englishman to skipper a team at consecutive European Cup finals, Gerrard being the last to do so.
And the Rangers manager has no doubts that he should.
He told Robbie Savage on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘100 per cent. Jordan Henderson has got to start.
‘I’ve always been a fan of Jordan Henderson, I believe he’s a selfless player, I think he does a lot of work for the team that goes unnoticed. I know what he’s like on and off the pitch. He puts himself behind everyone else; he’s just that type of person.
Henderson steps off the bus as the team arrive at their hotel in Madrid on Friday morning
‘I think he’s more than capable of winning any football match that he’s playing in and I think of late, certainly since he’s been playing a further forward role, he’s taken more responsibility and has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent players.’
‘I’ve watched him and spoke to him and said ‘Jordan, you need to maybe try to do things yourself rather than doing the easy thing’.
‘Because he’s very capable of playing the final pass or the excellent delivery in and he’s capable of scoring from the edge of the box and running into the box to set a goal up.
‘Jordan will do all the dirty running and do all the covering and all the organising. I think he’s matured a lot and he’s taken more on, on the pitch.’
Gerrard says that Henderson is a selfless player whose work often goes unnoticed
