Chelsea signed Jordan Henderson on a free transfer in the summer, following the expiration of his contract at Brentford.
Jordan Henderson of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s fifth goal with Joao Pedro during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and AFC Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on October 10, 2026 in London, England
Jordan Henderson fired Chelsea to victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.(Image: Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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Steven Gerrard has leapt to the defence of Jordan Henderson, insisting that he shouldn't be pigeonholded as a 'squad player' at Chelsea.
The 36-year-old midfielder, whom the Blues signed on a free transfer in the summer, following the expiration of his contract at Brentford, has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, silencing many of his critics. On Saturday afternoon, Henderson fired Chelsea to an emphatic 5-1 win over Bournemouth, scoring two excellent goals and providing an assist for Morgan Rogers.
Among the many records he smashed in doing so, the England international became the oldest player to be directly involved in three goals in a Premier League match and the oldest for any English top-flight club since Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United in April 2022.
Henderson was always set to play a key role for Chelsea, having sold Enzo Fernandez without a replacement, not to mention the handful of players whose workloads need careful management. Yet the veteran midfielder was often reduced to the title of 'squad player'.
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During an appearance on The Overlap, Gerrard leapt to Henderson's defence and insisted that's not the case. 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."
Gerrard added: "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.
"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 handed Henderson his flowers, refuting the age concerns. 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.
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"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."