‘Don’t compare Henderson to Gerrard,’ Owen tells Reds…
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen reckons that current vice-captain Jordan Henderson will take the skipper’s armband permanently upon Steven Gerrard’s departure, but doesn’t think the 24-year-old has what it takes to directly replace him, reports the Daily Mail.
SEE MORE:
LFC news
Brendan Rodgers gives Daniel Sturridge & Jon Flanagan injury updates
“I think Jordan Henderson will captain Liverpool, judging on what (Brendan) Rodgers has been saying about him,” Owen began. “However, I am reluctant to compare Henderson to Gerrard, as I don’t believe he is blessed with the talent of Stevie and I’m not sure he will be able to develop it,” said the ex-England international.
“He’s a quality player and talkative on the pitch. He plays every game and when you look around the pitch for candidates, there aren’t too many obvious choices.
“I think he is a decent replacement as captain, but I wouldn’t want to compare him with Gerrard because there aren’t too many players in the same league as Gerrard in terms of quality.”
Not many Liverpool fans have much time for Owen, after he ran his contract down and left Anfield on the cheap back in 2004, and later went on to sign for bitter rivals Manchester United.
These comments will not do an awful lot to increase his reputation on Merseyside either, although they could be viewed simply as a compliment to Gerrard rather than being derogatory to Henderson.
Henderson has done well when captaining the side in Gerrard’s absence this term, and he put in a real skipper’s performance versus Aston Villa on Saturday – registering an assist and marshalling his troops excellently.
We’re confident that the England international will thrive when given the extra responsibility, and although it’s going to be very painful to see Gerrard leave – it will be interesting to see how Henderson handles the added pressure.
Unless we sign a top, experienced international in the summer, it seems that Henderson is nailed on to be the next full-time captain.