"Very important player for us" - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp defends criticized player and claims he 'never will be' a problem for the squad

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has defended Reds captain Jordan Henderson in the pre-match press conference for their upcoming game against Everton.

Liverpool have been in shocking form this season and look nowhere near the team that came mighty close to winning the quadruple last season. They currently lie in 10th place in the Premier League table and their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League are hanging by a thread.

The Reds remain in search of their first Premier League win this year. Liverpool will next host Everton on Monday (February 13) in what will be a tense Merseyside Derby for the home side. Everton's confidence will be high after defeating Arsenal 1-0 under new manager Sean Dyche.

Injuries in the Liverpool squad and a lack of consistency in the midfield have played key parts in their dismal form. Jordan Henderson, who has led the Reds for years now, has also been in poor form, registering no goals and only one assist in all competitions this season.

He has only started ten Premier League games this season and has been benched for the last two. However, Jurgen Klopp has defended his captain and has said that Henderson is not the issue, explaining why he values the skipper.

"Hendo is not our problem/ Never was, never will be. Now he didn't start for 2 or 3 games. He played 98% of the games when ready. He played all these games because he's a very, very important player for us. So when he doesn't play, you miss it," Klopp said.

The Anfield faithful will be hoping Henderson gets back into form soon, as they try to end the second half of the season on a high.

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Danny Murphy criticizes Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for leaving Henderson on the bench

Former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy has criticized Jurgen Klopp for leaving Jordan Henderson on the bench as the Reds' woeful form has continued without him.

Murphy believes Henderson's benching has contributed to their poor form and that Klopp has made an error by doing so. He spoke to talkSPORT:

“I’m still surprised that every time I see a Liverpool team sheet, I don’t see them train, but I don’t care how he is training, Henderson plays every game for me, still. “He is the heartbeat of the midfield, he’s still got the legs to do it, and for some reason, he [Klopp] keeps leaving him out."

He added:

“I know Fabinho has had a tough time, but when you've got players who have done two or three years of brilliant seasons for you, being consistent, allow them to go through their bad spell and put them back in.”