Steven Gerrard delighted that Jordan Henderson has ‘shut a few critics up’ with his recent performances
Steven Gerrard has heaped huge praise on Jordan Henderson and explained he’s delighted at the fact the Liverpool skipper has ‘shut a few critics up’ with his performances for England at the World Cup.
The former Sunderland man netted the opener in the Three Lions’ 3-0 defeat of Senegal recently (after combining well with reported Reds target Jude Bellingham) and our former No. 8 claimed he’s not surprised at how well the 32-year-old is performing.
“Obviously being an England fan I’m following England and Jordan from a personal point of view. I think he’s been immaculate, both on and off the pitch,” Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.com.
“His last performance he was obviously Man of the Match, very well deserved, and he shut a few critics up that for some reason seem to point fingers at Jordan.
“Being a midfielder, being around Jordan on the daily basis, to see the sacrifices, his dedication and what he puts into his own preparation, the hard work that he puts in, I’m not surprised that he’s putting in this level of performance and I’m delighted for him.
“But it seems as if a lot of people outside the LFC family don’t need an invite to point a finger towards him so I’m delighted that he has shut a few up.”
Henderson has joined the former Liverpool captain in representing England at six international tournaments and the Scouser believes that says a lot about the Reds No. 14.
He’s had to settle for a spot on the bench for the majority of the tournament with Declan Rice and Bellingham often selected ahead of him by Gareth Southgate, but after a superb showing against the African champions last time out and the bags of experience he brings to the side, it’s expected that he’ll retain his spot in the starting XI for the clash with France tomorrow.
“I think the most important thing in football is to be valued by your manager, by your coaches and by your teammates,” Gerrard added. “Would your teammates pick you?
“And everyone who speaks about Jordan speaks glowingly because he is very selfless, he works his socks off, he does as much running as anyone else, he’s a fantastic passer of the ball, he’s unselfish on the pitch. His performances allow other people to get the credit a lot of the time.
“So, he’s very much appreciated by me, as an ex-teammate and someone who is following his career really closely, but every interview that you hear, when you’re in the game listen to people that are around Jordan, that are playing with him and that appreciate him. Don’t really take much notice of anyone on the outside because it’s just useless noise.”
It’s great to see our former skipper speaking so highly of Henderson and let’s hope he can put in another strong performance tomorrow to silence his critics once again.
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