Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has confirmed his availability for Reds’ weekend fixture against Manchester United at Old Trafford by confirming that he only got a ‘dead leg’ in the closing minutes of yesterday’s Champions League game against Porto.
Despite winning 5-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the tournament, Jurgen Klopp decided to name a strong side with the likes of Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane leading the charge. The second leg at Anfield ended in a 0-0 affair and Liverpool cruised into the quarter-finals of the competition.
As the game approached the final minutes, captain Jordan Henderson looked in trouble as he was seen limping. The 27-year-old landed awkwardly after challenging for a header and completed the fixture wearing a bandage on his right leg.
Liverpool next face Manchester United at Old Trafford, a venue where Liverpool haven’t won since 2014. So with the skipper – who has only played four of Liverpool’s last ten Premier League games – limping on the field, eyebrows were raised regarding his participation in the fixture. But the 27-year-old has eased off the pressure by confirming that it was nothing but just a dead leg and added that he will be fine.
“I just got a dead leg at the end but I should be fine,” Henderson told BT Sport when pressed on the issue. (h/t IBTimes)
Jurgen Klopp, when quipped about the same, gave a similar statement and added that the rest of his team also came through the evening unhurt.
“He [Henderson] got a dead leg in the last minute, but that should be all, all the rest was absolutely okay,” Klopp also told BT Sport. “All the other boys… no issues. “
Klopp decided to rest January signing Virgil van Dijk, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and top scorer Mohamed Salah for the game, although the latter was introduced in the final 15 minutes of the game. As things stand in Liverpool’s Premier League campaign, a 2-0 win over Newcastle United last weekend saw them climbing up to the second spot only for Nemanja Matic’s last minute winner against Crystal Palace bringing them down to the third.
A win over the Devils would again take them to the second spot and judging by how the players are sustaining their fitness, we could well and truly expect a win.
