Steven Gerrard has earmarked Jordan Henderson as the ideal candidate to replace him as Liverpool captain.
Gerrard announced last week that he will be ending his 26-year association with Liverpool at the end of the season, with the former England skipper widely expected to join MLS club LA Galaxy.
The 34-year-old s exit means manager Brendan Rodgers will have to select a new skipper and Gerrard feels Henderson the club s vice-captain possesses the necessary traits to take ownership of the armband.
I certainly believe Jordan has everything you need to be a great captain, Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo.
He s a fantastic professional who tries to lead by example in every training session and in every game.
He has really grown as a player and is improving all the time with experience.
He can become a great captain for this club. He s a fantastic player for me to hand the armband over to.
I ve got great respect for Jordan Henderson and I know everyone else at the club feels the same.
Gerrard s confidence in his team-mate is born from the fact that Henderson recovered from an initial difficult spell when he joined from Sunderland in 2011 to become one of the team s most important players.
Initially, it was very difficult for Jordan, he added. He was a Sunderland boy and moving to Liverpool was his first time out of the area. It was a big move at a young age.
Playing for Liverpool, with all the pressure and expectation, is tough. It s a very demanding club.
Jordan stayed and toughed it out. It s in difficult situations like that you learn a lot about the type of player and the type of character someone is.
He knuckled down and worked even harder. He s a true professional and a very strong character.
Every day he s in the gym doing extra work. He doesn t drink and he looks after himself. He has made a lot of sacrifices to play well for this club.
