Jurgen Klopp believes Jordan Henderson had ‘the most difficult job in the last 500 years of football’ in replacing Steven Gerrard at Liverpool.
Henderson was named as Gerrard’s successor as captain in 2015, after the Liverpool legend left the club to join LA Galaxy.
The England international has often been targeted by critics, but shone as a substitute during Liverpool’s 3-1 win at Southampton on Friday night.
Liverpool manager Klopp has never been in doubt regarding Henderson’s importance and was full of praise for the 28-year-old.
“He’s just a fantastic boy. He deserves all the praise but he doesn’t get too much of it,” Klopp told liverpoolfc.com.
“Hendo, from my point of view, is a brilliant player. He’s our skipper, he’s a fantastic character. If I had to write a book about Hendo, it would be 500 pages.
“So I’m very positive. The most difficult job in the last 500 years of football was to replace Steven Gerrard. In the mind of the people it was like if it’s not Stevie, then it’s not good enough.
“And he has dealt with that outstandingly well so he can be really proud. Now we have to think of the future and he is a very important part of our team.”