Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson’s stance on reunion with Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq comes to light: Reports
Jordan Henderson is reportedly not interested in joining Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.
Gerrard was confirmed as the Saudi Pro League club's manager earlier this month. Since then, he has earmarked Henderson as one of his primary targets this summer.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Reds skipper does not want to join the Saudi club at this stage in his career. He played alongside Gerrard at Liverpool for four years, making 134 appearances alongside him at club level.
Gerrard notably passed on the captain's armband to Henderson when he left Anfield in 2015 to join MLS side LA Galaxy. But it seems the current Liverpool skipper isn't enticed by the chance to join Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson's form has been shaky in recent seasons but he continues to captain the Merseyside giants under Klopp. He is considered a legend at Anfield and is eight games away from becoming just the 14th player in history to make 500 appearances for the Reds.
'Hendo', who joined the Premier League giants in 2011, still has two years left on his contract. It remains to be seen if Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister's summer arrivals threaten his spot in Klopp's XI.
Pundit says Real Madrid star may not start at Liverpool
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has opined that Real Madrid's Federico Valverde could struggle to start under Jurgen Klopp.
The Uruguay international, as per Liverpool Echo, has been linked with the Merseyside giants in recent weeks. Reports claim that the €90 million-rated midfielder could be sold after Arda Guler's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Nicol told ESPN:
"Listen, Valverde’s not getting let go from Real Madrid because he’s that great. If Real Madrid are prepared to let him go, it tells you that they don’t think he’s the future. Liverpool have just signed Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, they already have Fabinho, Henderson’s still around for another year."
He added:
"Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, two young guys, particularly Elliott, who will play. Does he start before Szoboszlai? No. Does he start before Mac Allister? No. So, if you’re Valverde, you’re going to be thinking about that as well. Thiago’s still there."
Valverde, 24, joined Los Blancos from Penarol in 2016 for a fee of €5 million. The versatile midfielder, who can also play as a free-roaming right-winger, has since registered 18 goals and 15 assists in 204 senior games for them.