Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher believes Jordan Henderson should still be a Liverpool player (Image: YouTube/ZacDjellab)
Jamie Carragher has told Jordan Henderson he squandered the opportunity to secure another Premier League title with Liverpool and made a mistake in leaving the club. Henderson, who captained the Reds to their title triumph in 2020, sent shockwaves through football nearly three years ago when he left Anfield for Saudi Arabia, joining Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq.
The 35-year-old faced widespread criticism for the move to Al-Ettifaq in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal, and human rights issues remain prominent. Also accused of placing financial considerations first, Henderson's Saudi venture lasted just six months before he transferred to Dutch club Ajax. After an 18-month period in Amsterdam, he returned to the Premier League this summer, joining Brentford.
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Carragher, however, believes Henderson's decision to move to Saudi Arabia was a major error; not only did he sacrifice the chance to win another title, but he could also have filled the role Wataru Endo has performed in recent seasons.
Speaking on Zac Djellab's YouTube channel, the Kop icon said: "When I retired, and Steven Gerrard left the club, it was, 'Who is going to be Liverpool captain?' Liverpool fans were going nuts that Jordan Henderson was captain; I was defending him constantly.
"It was right that he was captain, a brilliant captain, been a brilliant player for Liverpool. I still don't think he should have left Liverpool; he should still be at Liverpool now.
"I think he made a big mistake leaving Liverpool, he missed out on another league title, obviously went to Saudi Arabia, Ajax and is at Brentford. He shouldn't have left Liverpool; it was a mistake. It was because Jurgen Klopp said he was bringing midfield players in, and he said he wasn't going to play every week.
"What Endo has done at Liverpool, Jordan Henderson is a better player; he could have done that, and he'd have picked another league title up. I think he made a big mistake there."
Leeds United v Brentford - Premier League
Jordan Henderson is now back in the Premier League with Brentford (Image: Getty)
Towards the end of last year, Henderson admitted that the heartache of his Anfield exit left him unable to watch his former club on television. He revealed: "It was a really tough period when I left Liverpool. I was there for a long period of time, 12 years.
"Leaving Liverpool itself was huge and really difficult, and at any point it was going to be hard because it had been my life for so long, and then it is just gone like that... so I have struggled for a period after that.
"No, I couldn't watch a lot of games. I certainly couldn't watch Liverpool. I didn't watch a lot of Premier League stuff then... probably picked the right place for that, I was halfway around the world!
"Yeah, it was tough, but when you leave Liverpool because I was there for so long because I had such an attachment and I dedicated a large part of my life there, when I left I found it really difficult, and I suppose whatever I did or wherever I went...
"I don't know what it felt like; it felt like a break-up. It was just difficult, and I think if you asked a lot of players when they left a club, not just Liverpool, but when you have been at a club for so long, and you have that attachment to them, whether you retire or move on.
"I think for a period of time that was hard, but within time things change; you move on, but I would say that was probably the most difficult time."