Steven Gerrard hits back at 'disrespectful' claims aimed at Chelsea's Jordan Henderson
· Yahoo Sports
Steven Gerrard has come to the defense of Jordan Henderson, arguing that he shouldn't be labeled a 'squad player' at Chelsea.
The 36-year-old midfielder, whom the Blues acquired on a free transfer during the summer after his contract expired at Brentford, has made an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge, proving doubters wrong. On Saturday, Henderson propelled Chelsea to a commanding 5-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth, netting two superb goals and setting up Morgan Rogers for another.
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In the process, he shattered numerous records, with the England international becoming the oldest player to directly contribute to three goals in a Premier League fixture and the oldest for any English top-flight side since Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United in April 2022, as per football.london.
-Credit:Darren Walsh, Chelsea FC via Getty ImagesHenderson was always going to feature prominently for Chelsea, given that they offloaded Enzo Fernández without bringing in a replacement, plus the several players whose minutes require careful monitoring. Despite this, the experienced midfielder was frequently dismissed with the 'squad player' tag.
Speaking on 'The Overlap', Gerrard defended Henderson and rejected that characterization. The Liverpool legend said: "That [label] will be annoying him. But I think that would have annoyed James Milner, for example.
"It will annoy a lot of 33, 34, 35, 36-year-olds. I left Liverpool because of it. Brendan Rodgers was saying to me, 'Your game time's going to get less and less. Your contribution's going to be less.' And I still felt like I was Liverpool's best centre midfielder.
"Other people might have a different opinion on that, but that's just how I felt at that time. And that will be annoying Jordan, because I think it's slightly disrespectful to just call someone a squad player who's had that career and is still capable of that type of contribution.
"But the reality is, he's not going to play every game. There's probably a bit more of a respectful way, as a journalist, you could put that across to Jordan, I would say."
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Gerrard went on to say: "I managed him for six months in Saudi Arabia at Al-Ettifaq. I wish he would have stayed. Might have kept me in a job a bit longer! Top, top person, top professional, lives and breathes it. Family man. Great to have as a teammate. Great to have in your dressing room if you're a coach or a manager.
"I still think he's a really good player. I don't think he's what he was in his peak years. I don't think anyone is at 36. Maybe if you're a freak like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and I don't think Jordan's a freak, but what I would say is I still think there's a right good, strong year in him.
"I think he proved that at the weekend. I think Xabi Alonso will be clever with him, when he uses him, how he uses him. In Jordan's head, Jordan will be wanting to be consistently starting.
"He won't see himself as a squad player. I know his mentality, I know his drive. But to expect him to be the Jordan Henderson that was at Liverpool and go Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday throughout the season, I think that's asking a little bit much.
"Although physically, he will be in fantastic shape. His numbers will be as good as anyone's in the group, his standards will be top. He will be one of the best trainers daily. And from a manager's perspective, you trust him.
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"If you've got a game plan and there's a role for Jordan (Henderson), you'd play him, because he will do everything in his power to do his role in the best way and help everyone else around him. He's infectious. I haven't got a bad word to say about him, but I wouldn't say he's still a top player now."
Morgan Rogers has also recently paid Henderson his dues, dismissing concerns over his age. Speaking to club media, the Chelsea star said: "People said he was too old and you see what he does.
"Everyone in the dressing room knows that he's probably still the fittest player at the club, to be honest. He's a machine. People forget about the football because they just think he's that experienced head, but don't get me wrong, the guy can still play football.
"He's won everything in the game. You saw his quality there, and we'll see it for the rest of the season, I'm sure. Hopefully, we'll see more goals from him.
"He's got the ability, super quality. That's why he's on the free-kick, because he's got that ability to score from distance, and he did it twice on Saturday."