The ex-Liverpool star was moved to tears by what he was told by club bosses
Jordan Henderson of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp embrace on the pitch
Jordan Henderson was moved to tears after what he was told at Liverpool(Image: 2019 Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA)
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Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson once broke down in tears after learning he was no longer wanted at the club. Liverpool meet Henderson's previous side, Sunderland, on Wednesday evening, with the Reds having paid nearly £20million to secure the midfielder from the Black Cats in 2011.
Henderson, 35, turned out 492 times for Liverpool over 12 seasons. He departed in 2023 with numerous trophies to his name, having also had spells in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq and in the Netherlands with Ajax.
He has now returned to the Premier League with Brentford. Yet Henderson's career trajectory could easily have taken a vastly different path, had he accepted former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers' proposal to depart the club ahead of the 2012/13 season.
With Wales international Joe Allen brought in by Rodgers and Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva positioned above him in the hierarchy, Henderson was told that the club were prepared to part with him.
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"I can remember it like it was yesterday," Henderson previously told Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport. "It was just before we played Hearts at Anfield, and we had a game on the night. I had a conversation with Brendan at the hotel the day of the game – and to be fair to Brendan he sort of gave me the option. It was more the club that was willing to let me go.
"Brendan said, 'Listen, it's down to you, you're not going to be starting as much as what you'd have liked but I'll try to help you improve on what I need you to improve on. You're still young, and if you do that then maybe you get more game time as time goes on'.
"So basically I went back to my room, cried a little bit and was devastated really, but from that moment on I just tried to... it wasn't really an option for me to leave, because I hadn't been at the club very long, and I'd worked extremely hard to get there."
Jordan Henderson lifts the Premier League trophy
Henderson captained Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2020(Image: LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Henderson chose to remain and battle for his position in the team. "I said straight away 'listen, I ain't going anywhere, I'll do everything I can to get in your team and I'll prove people wrong'," he recalled.
"From that moment, every day in the gym I'd give everything, every day on the training pitch I'd give everything. Just focus on myself, how I can improve, how I can be better.
"Brendan helped us a lot tactically [and] I really think back then I could improve a lot tactically - I was good at box-to-box, I was very physical and decent technically, but the tactical elements I wasn't really taught that much, especially of what Brendan wanted.
Jordan Henderson and Brendan Rodgers
Henderson recalled what Brendan Rodgers told him about his Liverpool prospects in 2012(Image: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
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"He brought me into his office, sat me down, showed... where he wanted us with and without the ball. I felt that helped massively, helped me understand football even more, and from that moment on, I just grew in confidence as time went on."
Henderson put in the effort, and he ultimately inherited the Liverpool captaincy in July 2015. He took over from club legend Steven Gerrard, who departed for LA Galaxy.
Throughout his spell on Merseyside, Henderson became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's midfield. With the Reds, the England international secured the Premier League title, featured in three Champions League finals, lifting the trophy once, and won two League Cups, an FA Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.