“So you’ve got to be careful what you wish for” – Glen Johnson warns Liverpool fans over calls to drop player ‘who sets the benchmark’

Former England defender Glen Johnson has warned Liverpool fans that they should not be urging Jurgen Klopp to drop skipper Jordan Henderson to the bench.

A major section of Liverpool fans have been quite vocal on social media criticizing Henderson. The Englishman has not been at his best so far this season and it appears that age is catching up with the midfielder.

However, Glen Johnson has supported his former teammate, hailing him for his work rate and ability to keep the team ticking. The ex-Liverpool right-back has claimed that Henderson is a key cog in Klopp's system.

Speaking to LFC Transfer Room on behalf of BookiesBonuses.com, he said:

“It's a tough one because all players have something different to deliver. Everyone knows that Hendo is not a [Kevin] De Bruyne, he's probably not a Harvey Elliott in terms of what he can do on the ball, but he gets the work rate going and everyone else around him is great because of the emphasis he puts on them."

"So you can't always look at these nice threading passes and the goals from midfield and all the pretty stuff that we all like to see. But he is a key player for Liverpool and he sets that benchmark for the way they go about the start of games."

Johnson also claimed that it's quite natural for people to like players with a lot of flair but striking the right balance is also necessary. The former Liverpool defender feels that Henderson still has a lot to offer the Reds. He added:

“So you've got to be careful what you wish for. Of course, we all want to watch flair players and players that can beat people and create chances and so on but at the same time, you can't have three of them. You can't have three of them in midfield."

“I don't think his time is up starting but it will certainly start to diminish because these young kids are coming through and they look the business.”

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Liverpool are dealing with an injury crisis in midfield

The Reds are missing several key players through injuries right at the moment and a number of these absentees are midfielders.

Thiago Alcantara, the most graceful midfielder at Anfield, has been sidelined following an injury suffered earlier this season. The duo of Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have also been missing since the start of the season. Meanwhile, Naby Keita has been in and out of the side with injuries.

At the moment, Klopp only has Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho as midfield options. The Reds will be in action at home against Newcastle today (August 31).