Why Jordan Henderson Is the Liverpool Player Who Must Step Up in 2016

When Jurgen Klopp arrived as Liverpool manager in October, one of the players heralded as most likely to shine in the German's demanding, counter-pressing system was Jordan Henderson—but just over five months later, the 25-year-old is yet to make a lasting impression.

This has led to speculation Henderson could look to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, with Tottenham Hotspur linked with a move for the former Sunderland midfielder, who is valued at £20 million.

Addressing rumours of a move to White Hart Lane for Henderson earlier in March, Klopp told reporters, including the Mail's Joe Bernstein, that no player was "unsellable":

Everything is OK in this moment but nobody in the world, maybe only [Lionel] Messi, is unsellable. There is always a situation. I come from a club where always the best players are picked by other teams and at the end, you have to accept a few things and always need to have a Plan B or C.

I am pretty sure it is only a rumour but if not and if a player—let's not say Hendo but any player—comes to me and says he doesn't feel comfortable and wants to leave, style of play, more money, then you always have to start thinking. That's all I can say on this.

While this saw Klopp effectively quash speculation linking Henderson with Spurs, as Bleacher Report's Dean Jones highlighted in response, his non-committal approach hinted at an uncertain future for Henderson on Merseyside.

As Klopp suggested, he won't stand in the way of any player that wishes to leave Liverpool in the future, putting the onus on Henderson to carve out a long-term role under the German—with a big 2016 ahead.

"Everything about him is right. He is full of endeavour, young, hungry and the archetypal modern-day footballer—6'2" and yet a marvellous athlete. He is also a level-headed kid, which makes him a pleasure to work with," Steve Bruce, then manager of Sunderland, said in 2010, as relayed by the Express' Niall Hickman.

"Put all these qualities together and he is courted by all the top clubs."

A wonderkid with the substance to back up his manager's claims, Henderson was rightly courted by the Premier League's superpowers, having made his name with a number of assured displays in Bruce's midfield—leading the former Manchester United defender to slap a £25 million price tag on him.

By the age of 19, in the 2009/10 campaign, Henderson was a key member of a Sunderland squad enjoying mid-table stability—with the Black Cats unaware of the turmoil that was to follow.

Bruce's claims were valid, but while Henderson was able to showcase his talents in a comfortable environment at the Stadium of Light, scoring three and registering four assists in 37 league starts in 2010/11, his transition to life at Liverpool required every ounce of that endeavour.

A regular starter in Kenny Dalglish's midfield, Henderson was fielded in a number of roles, with the Liverpool legend making the most of his £20 million signing's versatility—hampering his progress as a result.

Henderson was used more sparingly by Dalglish's successor, Brendan Rodgers, in 2012/13, with his league minutes played dropping from 2,659 the previous season to a mere 1,530 in his first campaign under the Ulsterman, who had bizarrely offered him to Fulham in a failed bid to sign Clint Dempsey, as noted by the Express' David Wright.

Keeping his head down, Henderson made himself indispensable to Rodgers in the following season, as the Reds narrowly missed out on the Premier League title, while his continued excellence in 2014/15 paved the way for Steven Gerrard's departure.

While Gerrard's move to LA Galaxy was necessary, given the midfielder's decline over the course of the season, this decision can be linked with a downturn in form for Henderson. 

A long-serving captain on Merseyside, Gerrard's switch to Major League Soccer gave Rodgers a tough decision to make: who should wear the armband in the No. 8's absence?

This duty fell to Henderson, with Rodgers highlighting the ex-Sunderland man as a "wonderful role model," who would "blossom" in the role, as relayed by the club's official website before the current campaign:

Once I saw him grow and develop as the vice-captain then I felt pretty sure that this would be the season he could be the captain. 

He has taken to the role very well. He’s had a perfect role model in Stevie, he’s been on the shoulder of Stevie for a year to see how it all works and he’ll have picked up a lot from him. 

Like I said to him when I told him he would eventually be the captain—"have your own ideas, have your own ways of doing it and do it your way".

He’s an outstanding player and I think you’ll see him really blossom with that captaincy.

A bastion of blue-collar endeavour toeing the line between squeaky-clean club ambassador and snarling, tough-tackling leader on the field, Henderson was roundly heralded as the perfect replacement for Gerrard.

But while shadowing Gerrard throughout the previous campaign will have given Henderson food for thought, he would have been unable to prepare himself to shoulder the weight of expectation.

Troubled with foot problems throughout 2015/16, Henderson has struggled for consistency, missing 21 games through injury so far, scoring two and laying on three in 23 appearances, with his inability to perform on the biggest stages representing a major concern for Klopp.

While the German insisted a month on from his arrival that Henderson was "an absolute leader" and would remain his captain, as reported by Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo, Klopp's Liverpool are certainly lacking in winners; and with little experience in that regard, Henderson could prove expendable if he doesn't improve.

Klopp is certain to add players to his Liverpool squad over the summer as he prepares for his first full campaign in charge on Merseyside—adding to incoming pair Joel Matip and Marko Grujic and the returning Lazar Markovic.

One of the key areas likely to be reinforced is the centre of midfield, with both Borussia Monchengladbach's Granit Xhaka and Klopp's former Dortmund engine Ilkay Gundogan linked with moves to Anfield already.

German publication Bild (h/t the Mirror's Alex Richards) claimed in January Klopp had made Xhaka his "No. 1 priority," while Gundogan's ongoing contract dispute at the Westfalenstadion led Russia-based Liverpool reporter Artur Petrosyan to link the Germany international with Liverpool, along with Juventus and Real Madrid.

Both would provide Klopp's midfield with a blend of tenacity and finesse that would complement the increasingly key Emre Can, whose performances at the base of Liverpool's 4-2-3-1 have continued to impress under the 48-year-old.

Of Liverpool's outfield players, only Nathaniel Clyne (3,761) has played more minutes for Liverpool this season than Can (3,685), with the former Bayern Munich player a key figure due to his strength, power and composure; Henderson, largely due to injury, has played just 1,789 so far this season.

If Klopp were to sign one of Xhaka or Gundogan this summer, it would likely be to partner Can in midfield, posing the question: does Henderson fit into Klopp's first-choice lineup if this is the case?

As the final weeks of the 2015/16 season play out, Henderson will be set a big challenge in convincing Klopp of his enduring quality.

The Liverpool captain is still in good standing, but he must make himself unsellable.

Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.

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