Jordan Henderson should have had "alarm bells ringing" a long time ago

In an interview that has proved to be controversial among Liverpool fans, Jordan Henderson has shed light on how he felt undervalued by the club before his move to the Saudi Pro League.

The 33-year-old joined Al-Ettifaq in the summer transfer window, reuiniting with his mentor and new coach Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool signed three new midfielders this summer with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo being warmly embraced by fans.

Jurgen Klopp needed to revamp a midfield that had been showing signs of decay since the 2021 Premier League title triumph.

Henderson was a vital part of the side that saw Liverpool win every trophy available, restoring dominance to Anfield after decades of heartbreak.

Yet, despite the Englishman's influence and inspiring story, he hasn't been at the standard required of a team wanting to compete for every title available for some time now.

Last season saw the Liverpool midfield struggle constantly and Klopp's response was to ruthlessly cull six midfielders from his squad.

The midfielders sold or released from contract were:

• Jordan Henderson (sold)
• Fabinho (sold)
• James Milner (released)
• Naby Keita (released)
• Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (released)
• Arthur Melo (end of one-year loan)

All of the above failed to contribute quality, feature regularly enough or have been on the decline for too long.

Henderson has conducted an interview with the Athletic that has angered some fans perhaps due to some of the inconsistencies with his perception of his exit and how fans have perceived his exit in relation to the last two years of his career with the Reds.

What did Henderson say in his interview?

You can read the full interview with the Athletic if you have a subscription but I will share the excerpt that has done the rounds on social media.

Henderson said: "I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming in my position.

"And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at a club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long. Especially when England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up. And then there was an approach from Al-Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there.

"The reaction from the club again wasn’t to say no. At that moment I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that.

"If one of those people said to me, 'now we want you to stay', then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career. Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.

"I’m at the latter stage of my career and I want to be happy playing football. I want to play. I don’t want to be sitting on the bench and coming on for 10 minutes in games. And I knew that would have an effect on my chances of playing for England."

Why Jordan Henderson should have had "alarm bells ringing" a long time ago

Henderson has never been the most technically talented but has instead founded his game on his athleticism and desire to win the midfield battle.

In the Premier League, a division positively littered with highly technical players, the former Liverpool midfielder found success under Jurgen Klopp whose tactics played to his strengths.

The sad nature of footballers is that time is always against them. Their careers are short and this is most felt by players whose physicals attributes far outweigh their technical proficiency.

For at least two years now, Henderson has found it difficult to dominate Premier League midfield battles through use of his endurance and pressing alone.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold, his partner on the right flank, being pushed further forward every year since his debut in 2016, Henderson was required more and more to cover the space left at right back.

This wasn't an issue in 2018/19 and 2019/20 as the Reds romped to Champions League and Premier League titles in back to back seasons as Henderson was able to cope with the physical demand of bombing up and down the pitch in his no.8 role.

The signs have been there for a long time now. Regularly outstripped in transition by his opposition in midfield, it became obvious that this season would mean a reduction in minutes for the 33-year-old.

It's not personal. It's not about being valued. Henderson is simply at the end of his career and can no longer compete at the top level.

It doesn't matter now - Liverpool are on a new adventure

While fans may be incensed by some of Henderson's comments, the club is now heading in an exciting new direction even if work will still be needed in the transfer market in the near future.

Liverpool's 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday showcased some of the excitement fans have regarding the midfield overhaul.

New signing Ryan Gravenberch was seated in the Anfield stands as he watched his new teammates continue their unbeaten start to the season.

While the Dutchman was unable to take part after his late move to Merseyside meant he wasn't registered in time for the fixture, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai starred.

The latter scored a wonderful goal in the third minute while Mac Allister acted as the metronome in central midfield, allowing his hard-running partner to do the heavy lifting.

Curtis Jones, who has new competition in the form of Gravenberch, was impressive as well as he recorded a 92% pass accuracy from a total of 36 passes.

It was a more reserved role than the one he has occupied in his first three seasons of professional football with the Reds as Jurgen Klopp has tested him in a deeper role since his triumph with England in the U21 European Championship in the summer.

He and Harvey Elliott were wonderful for the Young Lions and are still expected to play important roles for Liverpool this season.

Klopp's midfield options for the season ahead are:

• Dominik Szoboszlai
• Alexis Mac Allister
• Wataru Endo
• Ryan Gravenberch
• Thiago Alcantara
• Curtis Jones
• Harvey Elliott
• Stefan Bajcetic