Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson admits that he has struggled for TWO YEARS with his Liverpool exit, having left Anfield after 12 years with the club during which time he lifted the game’s top honours
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has opened up on his feelings about his Anfield exit
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson admits he was so hurt by his Anfield exit that he couldn’t bear to watch his former club on TV. In an eye-opening account of the pain he felt leaving the club after 12 years, the Premier League and Champions League winner likens his Merseyside exit to a particularly painful break up, admits he has struggled to get over it and that it has been one of the most difficult periods of his career.
Henderson, now 35, caused shockwaves two years ago when he left the club to move to Saudi Arabia, joining Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.
Accused of chasing mega money, Henderson lasted just six months in Saudi before joining Dutch giants Ajax. He lasted 18 months in Amsterdam before returning to the Premier League this summer, joining Brentford.
READ MORE: Steven Gerrard points finger at Trent Alexander Arnold over Liverpool exit – ‘What are you doing?’
OPINION
Ian Doyle
But Henderson admits the scars of his Anfield exit are still not fully healed, and the pain continues. Henderson said: “It was a really tough period when I left Liverpool, I was there for a long period of time, 12 years.
“Leaving Liverpool itself was huge and really difficult and at any point it was going to be hard because it had been my life for so long and then it is just gone like that… so I have struggled for a period after that.
“No, I couldn’t watch a lot of games, I certainly couldn’t watch Liverpool. I didn’t watch a lot of Premier League stuff then… probably picked the right place for that, I was half way around the world!
“Yeah, it was tough but when you leave Liverpool because I was there for so long because I had such an attachment and I dedicated a large part of my life there, when I left I found it really difficult and I suppose whatever I did or wherever I went…
“I don’t know what it felt like, it felt like a break-up, it was just difficult and I think if you asked a lot of players when they left a club, not just Liverpool but when you have been at a club for so long and you have that attachment to them whether you retire or move on.
“I think for a period of time that was hard but within time things change, you move on but I would say that was probably the most difficult time.”
Jordan Henderson spent 12 years with Liverpool(Image: Naomi Baker – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Henderson’s Liverpool exit looked like it may spell the end of his international career, and he didn’t make Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024. But Thomas Tuchel has brought him back into the fold, Henderson now has 85 caps to his name, and a place at next year’s World Cup looks likely to be his.
He loves playing for his country and it was a factor in his move to Brentford. And while it continues to drive him, so he says do the critics who write him off.
Jordan Henderson admits leaving Liverpool was tough(Image: Getty Images)
“I think I’ve used it as fuel throughout my career, really,” said Henderson. “Everyone’s different and everyone likes to approach things differently. For me, I suppose it’s part and parcel of who I am. I’ve always had to prove something, somewhere. I don’t think that will ever change sometimes.”
Henderson also says that while it may have taken. him years, he he has finally learned to block out criticism to focus on the job in hand. He added: “When you are younger it can be tough, it is a lot easier now. And I suppose it is not bad to come through stuff like that in the end when you could come out the other side and look back.
Jordan Henderson is impressing at Brentford(Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“Of course there will be tough moments, and I am not going to lie, over the past couple of years, I have had some tough moments. But when you come out the other side, you look back, you think you learn a lot about yourself and it makes you stronger, makes you think differently and if you use it in the right way, it can help you and that is all I have ever tried to do.
“Of course I am not perfect and I have made mistakes in the past, throughout my career. But all I have ever tried to do is the right and help as many people around me as I can and try to use the negative stuff to be a better player and help my team. That’s what I’ve done wherever I have been.
“Looking back, that is something I have always probably needed. I just feel that I have had that and have had to learn to use it as a tool in the right way and hopefully I have been because I am still here and speaking to you now which can’t be a bad thing.”
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