Jordan Henderson: Coming of Age

Liverpool maintained their hundred per-cent start to the Premier League season with a third consecutive one-nil victory – this time over fierce rivals, Manchester United. It is the first time the reds have won their opening three games in a campaign since 1994, under the stewardship of Roy Evans. The result on Sunday will, of course, further endear manager Brendan Rodgers to a fulfilled Anfield faithful, but nobody’s reputation has risen as rapidly in recent times on Merseyside as Jordan Henderson’s.

The level-headed 23-year-old was brought to the club in the summer of 2011 by former reds’ boss, Kenny Dalglish. Despite showing glimpses of quality, Henderson struggled to make an impact early in his career at Liverpool – perhaps concealed in the shadow of club captain Steven Gerrard and the over-exuberant, fellow newcomer, Charlie Adam. However, without blowing my own trumpet so to speak, I always thought Henderson’s determined demeanour gave him a chance of succeeding at the club, and evidently Kenny Dalglish shared my faith, handing the midfielder 48 appearances in 2011/12.

Brendan Rodgers arrival as manager of Liverpool in June 2012, and the recruitment of central-midfielder Joe Allen, meant Henderson’s chances were limited at the beginning of last season. But inevitably, the Englishman’s work-ethic saw him regain his place in the team. After the turn of the year, particularly, Henderson began to firmly establish himself as a vital piece of a developing Brendan Rodgers’ team.

The midfielder has continued to flourish at the start of the 2013/14 season; his augmentation in confidence was epitomised by his stunning goal against Notts County last month in the second round of the Capital One Cup. Henderson picked the ball up in the middle of the pitch during the second half of extra-time, surged towards goal, nut-megged a defender and serenely slotted the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper into the bottom-right corner of the net. "It was nice to score,” he said after the game. “The most important thing was to get the win. We would have liked it to have been a lot more comfortable, but things like that happen in football. We've got to go on and learn from it and make sure that if we're in that position again, we see the game out a lot more comfortably." This sort of attitude is what gives me confidence that Henderson will succeed at Liverpool – he is beginning to have more of a voice and a real sense of belonging. Now, rather than sparking a discussion between supporters about his worthiness of a place at Liverpool Football Club, the midfielder is becoming a real fans’ favourite.

Henderson started on Sunday against Manchester United, and his combative performance only reaffirmed his importance to Liverpool. The midfielder lined up on the right of a fluid 4-4-1-1 system and was brilliant throughout, quashing repeated attacking bursts from left-sided opposition players Patrice Evra and Ashley Young. Henderson’s maturity and composure on the ball impressed me most; he completed 82.9% of his 41 passes in the match, higher than the likes of Steven Gerrard, Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva. The Englishman’s passing accuracy was particularly impressive, when you consider how the reds set up after taking an early lead – retracting into a deep, impenetrable shape thus leaving their forwards isolated and possessing no real passing outlet. Henderson was also successful in all three of the tackles he attempted in the match, underlining his overall value to the team.

Should he maintain his recent trajectory of improvement, I’d expect the 23-year-old to soon add to his five senior international caps, and become a regular performer for both club and country. Jordan Henderson has a long career ahead of him at Liverpool, and people are starting to realise it.

Henderson's performance map vs Manchester United.