Jordan Henderson comes up against Liverpool for the first time since leaving Anfield in the summer of 2023 when the Premier League champions visit Brentford on Saturday night.
Despite his painful exit, the midfielder will still go down as one of the club’s all-time greats.
It could be an uncomfortable evening under the west London lights for Henderson against the team he captained to every major trophy during his 12 years on Merseyside as he has the chance to heap yet more pressure on Arne Slot’s side by inflicting on them a fourth defeat in a row for only the fourth time in Premier League history.
That the 35-year will be an integral presence in the Brentford midfield at the Gtech would have seemed farfetched after what he has described as a “tough” past two years that saw him join Al-Ettifaq, then managed by his former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard, before mutually terminating his contract with the Saudi Pro-League club in January 2024 before enduring a fractious 18-month spell at Ajax.
“I am not going to lie… over the past couple of years I have had some tough moments,” Henderson recently revealed while on England duty.
“It felt like a breakup,” he added of his Reds departure. “I couldn’t watch a lot of Premier League games and I certainly couldn’t watch Liverpool. I probably picked the right place for that because I was halfway around the world! Because I was at Liverpool for so long and had such an attachment, I found it really difficult when I left.
“If you asked a lot of players when they left a club where they had been for so long – not just Liverpool – I think they’d say it was hard. With time, things change. You move on. But I would say that was probably the most difficult time.”
It felt like a breakup. I couldn’t watch a lot of Premier League games and I certainly couldn’t watch Liverpool.
The reason his Liverpool breakup was so hard to take was this was someone who was the leader of Jurgen Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters’ during one of the most successful periods in the club’s trophy-laden history.
Alongside the likes of James Milner, Emre Can, Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho, Henderson formed part of a hard-working midfield that lost just 24 league games between 2016 and 2023, during which time Man City twice pipped Liverpool to the title by just a point – although revealingly it was rarely him who ever missed out on selection.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pays tribute to his former captain Jordan Henderson in a video posted to Liverpool’s social media channels
It was Henderson who captained the Reds to a sixth European Cup in 2019 [accompanied by emotional post-match scenes with his dad in Madrid], followed by a first top-flight title for 30 years the following campaign, as well as a domestic cup double in 2023 and other subsequent triumphs in the European Super Cup, Club World Cup and FA Community Shield.
So, when after a trying 2022-23 campaign Klopp told his skipper he would no longer be an automatic first choice the following season, he felt slighted and rather than stay and fight for his starting place, opted to leave.
Jordan Henderson admits ‘it was the right time’ for himself and Liverpool to part ways after 12 years
“In hindsight, maybe I would have made different decisions,” he now says. “You can look back and think: ‘Maybe I could have done this differently or maybe have done that.’ But there were reasons for it and I did not do it off a whim.”
The regret is probably threefold as not only did Henderson miss out on the send-off he deserved, but as a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, he was also roundly criticised for moving to Saudi Arabia.
Sky Sports News senior reporter Melissa Reddy discusses how close Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is to securing a move to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia
Not only that, but had the England international decided to stay at Anfield he would surely still have enjoyed plenty of first-team action as Liverpool battled on all four fronts in Klopp’s final season in charge.
“In the end, it has made me stronger,” concluded Henderson.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol explains why Jordan Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq has raised questions over his reputation as a spokesperson on issues of diversity and, in particular, the LGBTQ+ community
Sir Alex Ferguson once revealed he wanted to bring Henderson to Man Utd from Sunderland, but was cautioned against the move by his medical staff because his “running style could be the type to have injuries”.
The former United manager admits he “missed out on a really good person,” but those misgivings did not put off Kenny Dalglish, who signed Henderson in June 2011. However, his successor Brendan Rodgers was not so convinced of his worth and tried to offload the player to Fulham as part of a swap deal involving Clint Dempsey the following summer.
In a heated press conference, Jordan Henderson, who usually captains Ajax, hit back at speculation he would be leaving the club and making a transfer to Monaco
Henderson stubbornly refused to leave, opting instead to stay and fight for his place in the team and “prove them wrong”, which is exactly what happened.
So much so that the midfielder’s absence through suspension from Liverpool’s pivotal league clash with Chelsea at Anfield in April 2014 is now seen as being instrumental in the defeat which ultimately cost Rodgers’ side the title that season.
Jamie O’Hara feels Jordan Henderson is a good role model in the England camp but absolutely should not be starting for the national side
Then there were those who were quick to prematurely call time on his England career after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad – despite having featured regularly in qualifying – partly as a result of being sidelined for almost two months at Ajax in the build-up to the tournament.
The common thread, be it from United’s medics, Rodgers or England fans, is that they all failed to recognise Henderson’s under-rated playing abilities, especially his pinpoint passing, both from deep – as seen with his exquisite, raking through ball to create Igor Thaigo’s opener in Brentford’s recent win over Man Utd – or when helping to knit together attacks when further up field.
Highlights from Brentford’s match against Manchester United in the Premier League
In fact, Henderson has made eight defensive line-breaking passes this season, two of which led to goals, in his eight league games for Brentford, more than any Liverpool player has managed in that time.
Jordan Henderson unlocks Chelsea defence as Kevin Schade fires Brentford ahead
It is not just that brilliant passing range, he also possesses a devasting long-range strike, as seen with eye-catching efforts for Liverpool against Man City [2015] and Chelsea [2016].
A look at Jordan Henderson’s best bits for Liverpool after he returned to the Premier League with Brentford
And then there is his off-field influence, which is always hard to quantify, but which has clearly been hugely valued by all his managers and team-mates and was one of the reasons Thomas Tuchel recalled him to the national team in March having initially overlooked him – although as he was at pains to point out, he was not the only one.
“I am still playing at a high level,” said Henderson, who has featured in five of Tuchel’s seven England matches so far.
Jordan Henderson revealed the reasons he joined his new club Brentford and what it will be like to face former clubs Sunderland and Liverpool
“Outside, people can think what they want. The most important people are the manager, the coaching staff and the players. Ask them what they think, if I am a cheerleader when I am here. I don’t think one of the best managers in Europe would be choosing me just to do that.”
Henderson is right. When it comes to the old ‘show us your medals’ test, he is one of the most decorated British footballers of recent years – he is one of only four Englishmen to have captained their club to both the European Cup and first division title – and as such will without doubt go down as a Liverpool great when he finally calls time on his career.
