Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is as good as Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante and Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic, according to pundit Tony Cascarino.
Henderson joined the Reds back in 2011 from Sunderland and since then has faced a lot of criticism from the fraternity.
The 27-year-old took over the captaincy from Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard since the former England international left for LA Galaxy in 2015.
Henderson plays a very different kind of game to the Reds’ free-scoring style of play under manager Jurgen Klopp but very few understand the influence he has on the games from the central midfield.
The Liverpool skipper had one of his better games in recent times against Newcastle on Saturday evening, guiding the club to a comfortable 2-0 victory at Anfield.
And former Republic of Ireland striker Cascarino believes Henderson should be held in much higher regard for the work he silently does from the midfield, hailing the England international as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
“When I hear fans criticising Jordan Henderson I think: “am I watching a different game.” He is as important to Liverpool as all their flair players,” Cascarino mentioned in his column for the Times.
“He keeps things simple, he robs the ball off the opposition and brings energy to the midfield. He also chips in with the odd goal.
“Henderson’s work allows the creative players to express themselves; on Saturday, he allowed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to get forward to set up the opening goal for Mo Salah.
“I was talking about this on the radio yesterday and someone said that he’s not as good as Nemanja Matic at Manchester United, but I don’t see it.
“Matic, Fernandinho and Manchester City and N’Golo Kanté at Chelsea get the praise for that role, but Henderson does it as well as anyone else.”
The pundit is not wrong as Henderson has received unnecessary flak even when he has performed well for our club. The Liverpool captain is a reliable player in linking defence and attack which makes him indispensable to the current squad under Klopp.
However, Henderson isn’t that good when it comes to comparing him with Kante, Matic and Fernandinho. He certainly is a good player and has led the side well since the departure of Gerrard but fans expect a lot more hunger and energy from their leader.
