Jordan Henderson: Liverpool captain once cried when told he could leave club

Since joining Liverpool in 2011, Jordan Henderson has overcome many obstacles on his climb to the top of English football.

Over the last 11 years, Liverpool’s captain fantastic has established himself as an integral cog and leader in the Reds’ midfield, guiding the Merseyside club to European glory in 2019 and the side to their first Premier League title in 2020.

But his journey has been nothing short of inspiring.

Throughout his career, the 33-year-old has encountered many different obstacles, from a snub from Manchester United early in his career to a serious knee ligament injury during the 2015/16 season.

Yet one of the greatest stories from Henderson’s journey came in his first two years at Liverpool.

Brought to the club from Sunderland by Sir Kenny Dalglish the midfielder came straight into the side and made 37 league appearances for Liverpool during the 2011/12 season.

Despite winning the League Cup that same year, Dalglish was replaced by Brendan Rodgers, who told Henderson he was willing to let him go to Fulham in order to bring Clint Dempsey to the club.

Rodgers then gave the now-Liverpool captain an ultimatum; go to Fulham and get regular game time, or stay in Merseyside but he would need to fight for his place in the team.

Speaking to Rio Ferdinand in a BT Sport Between the Lines interview, Henderson recounted the turbulent time, and despite admitting how devastated he was by the manager’s decision, the England midfielder was adamant he wasn’t going to give up.

He said: “We had a game on the night and I had a conversation with Brendan [Rodgers] in the hotel on the day of the game.

“To be fair to Brendan, he gave me the option that it was more the club that was willing to let me go.

“But Brendan said: