Exclusive – Ex-Liverpool star backs Henderson to replace Gerrard as captain

Jordan Henderson has the ability to take over as Liverpool captain and lead the team for years to come, believes Jason McAteer.

The Reds midfielder was named vice-captain back in September by manager Brendan Rodgers and with Gerrard leaving for LA Galaxy in the summer looks set to replace his team-mate as skipper next season.

And McAteer, who reckons the 24-year-old was Liverpool’s unsung hero last year as they finished second in the Premier League, believes he is more than capable of taking on the role having thrived as Gerrard’s deputy this year.

He told the Weekend Sports Breakfast: “I think the armband has done him [Jordan Henderson] the world of good. [After being named] vice-captain he’s really leading by example. He knows now people are looking at him to take on the mantle from Steven Gerrard and that’s a massive pressure to say to someone ‘listen, you’re going to fill those boots’.

“What I love about Jordan Henderson is, I felt when Brendan Rodgers came into the club Jordan had become surplus to requirements and he wasn’t quite fitting in but he went about his business really well and wasn’t banging on the doors and wasn’t on the back pages of newspapers. He went on with his business and got back into the team and, I have to say, he was one of the stand out players last season.

“We talk about [Daniel] Sturridge and we talk about Luis Suarez but without Jordan Henderson those two players wouldn’t have had the season that they had. His running off the ball was brilliant, the way he linked up with Suarez and [Raheem] Sterling and the movement he gave off the ball to create space for them to get into to score goals was brilliant.

“He was really an unsung hero last year and the [captain’s] armband has done him the world of good because he’s grown in confidence and he looks like he’s going to go on and become a fantastic player for Liverpool for years to come.”