Former Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has revealed that Reds owner John W Henry was not a fan of Jordan Henderson for the first few months of his time at the club – initially branding his signing a ‘massive mistake’.
When Comolli, who brought the Reds captain in from Sunderland, was sacked in April 2012, the signing of the midfielder was labelled as being a key reason for his dismissal.
Speaking to the Independent, Comolli said: “I remember the day I was sacked, the owners told me, Jordan Henderson, what a massive mistake it was. That was the only thing they told me.”
No doubt Henry will have changed his mind since, but it shows a great turnaround on the part of Henderson to now be club captain and so highly regarded by Jurgen Klopp, his staff and his teammates, having been written off earlier in his career.
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Win on Saturday to lift the Reds’ sixth European Cup and Henderson’s remarkable turnaround from a perceived failure to a crucial member of the team will be complete.
Some Reds fans still have reservations over Henderson, but for Klopp to love him so much and retain him as club captain shows how good he thinks he is. You don’t captain a team to 97 Premier League points without being an excellent footballer.