Jamie Carragher believes Jordan Henderson should still be a Liverpool player (Image: YouTube/ZacDjelab)
Jamie Carragher has told Jordan Henderson that he made a mistake leaving the club, wasting his chance to win another Premier League title with Liverpool. Henderson, who captained the Reds to the title in 2020, shocked the football world almost three years ago when he left Anfield for Saudi Arabia to join professional league side Al Etifaq.
The 35-year-old faced widespread criticism for moving to al-Etifaq, a country where homosexuality is illegal and human rights issues remain prominent. Also accused of putting money first, Henderson’s Saudi adventure lasted just six months before he moved to Dutch club Ajax. After 18 months in Amsterdam, he returned to the Premier League this summer, joining Brentford.
But Mr Carragher believes Mr Henderson’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia was a big mistake. Not only did he sacrifice his chance to win another title, he also could have played the role that Wataru Endo has played the last few seasons.
Speaking on Zac Gerub’s YouTube channel, the Kop icon said: “When I retired and Steven Gerrard left the club, it was ‘Who’s going to be Liverpool’s captain?’ Liverpool fans were furious that Jordan Henderson was their captain. I was always defending him.
“He was the right captain, a great captain and a great player for Liverpool. I still think he shouldn’t have left Liverpool. He should still be at Liverpool.”
“I think he made a big mistake leaving Liverpool, missing out on another league title, obviously going to Saudi Arabia, going to Ajax and being at Brentford. He shouldn’t have left Liverpool. That was a mistake. It was because Jurgen Klopp said he was bringing in midfield players and he said he wasn’t going to play every week.”
“What Endo did at Liverpool, Jordan Henderson is a better player. He could have done it. He could have won another league title. I think he made a big mistake there.”
Jordan Henderson returns to Premier League with Brentford (Image: Getty)
Late last year, Henderson admitted that the heartache of leaving Anfield meant he could no longer watch his old club’s games on TV. “When I left Liverpool it was a really difficult time. I was there for a long time, 12 years,” he said.
“Leaving Liverpool was huge in itself and really difficult. And it’s going to be difficult at any point because it’s been my life for a long time, but it ended the way it did… so it was a struggle for a while after that.
“No, I couldn’t watch many games. I couldn’t watch Liverpool, of course. I didn’t watch much Premier League stuff back then… I probably picked a good location for that. I was on the other side of the world!”
“Yes, it was difficult, but when I left Liverpool, I was there for a very long time and I was very attached to it and I had dedicated a big part of my life to Liverpool.
“I don’t know what it felt like. It felt like a farewell. It was just difficult. If you ask a lot of players, not just Liverpool, when they leave a club, I think that’s the case, but if you’ve been at a club for a long time, whether you retire or move on, you’re attached to the club.”
“I think it was tough at one point, but over time things change and you can move forward, but I think that was probably the toughest time.”
