The fall and rise of Jordan Henderson - and the player he actually resembles

Jordan Henderson has come into his own since the turn of the year (Getty Images)

It says a lot about the progress Liverpool are making under Brendan Rodgers (edit : cautious progress. I don’t want to jinx it!) that most LFC discussion boards have seen 8 or 9 names put forward for Player of the Month. The exercise moved along predictable lines : Daniel Sturridge with 3 goals, and Simon Mignolet with a series of match-winning saves, were both front-runners. Jordan Henderson comes a close third - which should be no surprise to anyone who has watched him over the last twelve months.

Like Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal, Henderson has run a full cycle: from promise to disappointment to redemption. Towards the end of last season, he was being hailed as a hard worker who had earned the right to start matches, but there were still doubts over his consistency. Given his first season at the club, those doubts weren’t misplaced. A 180-degree change has occurred since June 2012, however – he is now a hugely improved player and an Anfield favourite.

Whether it is Brendan Rodgers’ tutelage or the natural maturity that comes with experience (as in the case of midfield partner Lucas Leiva), the change is noticeable. He has transformed into a reliable utility player who can operate in midfield with confidence and finesse, linking attack and defence with ceaseless running; winning the ball back within Rodgers’ six seconds and harrying the opposition midfielders with untiring tenacity even in the 86th minute. He may not be the best player on the pitch, but he works hard so that others can play to their fullest.

When he arrived at Liverpool, the young Sunderland academy graduate was far from being a complete player. He was a strapping lad who could run around all day and aggressively press high up the field – useful traits, but not reason enough to field him in the first team. He was highly rated at Sunderland and captain of the England U-21 squad, so he had proven his pedigree; but the ideal next move was a spell in the Liverpool reserves, where he could mature as a player and learn the graft, away from the unsettling gaze that follows a 16-million pound signing.

Instead, he was thrown straight into the Liverpool first team and played out of position, a decision that contradicted the very premise on which he was acquired – Henderson was a player for the future, not the present. Kenny Dalglish shuffled him all round the field in multiple formations. A sustained lack of success broke the youngster’s confidence and he soon earned fan ire, becoming the motif for everything that was wrong with LFC’s selection policy and tactics. In addition, he was suffering impossible comparisons with Steven Gerrard.

Let’s be realistic about his abilities. Comparing the man to Gerrard (as the captain himself optimistically did) is counter-productive. We’ve already seen what misplaced expectations can do to a player (for example Nani-Ronaldo). Henderson does not possess that kind of vision, shooting ability or sheer raw talent. Dropping deeper, he’s no Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira either. And comparisons with long-ball wizard Xabi Alonso are way off.

So does Henderson belong to a template?

To categorize players is to encourage lazy thinking, but an intelligent comparison is possible – not with the legends he is expected to replace, but with the senior player he is more likely to resemble.

Jordan Henderson is the next James Milner - an aggressive, intelligent, physically tough player prepared to burst his lungs (and someone else’s too, if need be) with his massive work rate; a player whose importance to his team lies in what he allows others to accomplish.

Such players are usually permanent fixtures in the first team, no matter what their technical ability or goal-scoring record are like, because their solidity and stamina allow the more creative forces alongside to find an outlet. Milner provides the supply for David Silva to run amok. It is hoped that Henderson will do the same for Luis Suarez when he returns. Currently, he plays behind Iago Aspas and gives the Spaniard – still unaccustomed to the pace of the Premier League – the confidence to go forward without having to watch his back. And most importantly, Henderson is growing with every match.

Conclusion

Football fans have a natural tendency to go over the top, so I’d urge caution amongst the Kop faithful. Henderson has done well, but there’s still a long way to go before he becomes the classy midfielder we all expect. At the same time, those with unrealistic demands would do well to assess him for what he can become, not what they want him to become. For me, Henderson is still defined by his goal against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in January 2013, where he bloody-mindedly won two individual battles to score Liverpool’s second of the night.

As in the case of Theo Walcott, another young British talent rediscovering himself, Henderson must be allowed to grow to a level where he can meet fan expectations instead of the other way around. But as his performances get better and better, those expectations are only going to rise. This time, I think he will be ready to meet them.