Steven Gerrard has hailed “role model” Jordan Henderson for his part in organising a charity fund to help health services in the United Kingdom during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Liverpool captain has been widely credited for taking a lead role in launching the #PlayersTogether initiative that will see Premier League players donate funds to NHS charities.
Henderson’s leadership qualities have also been clear to see on the field since succeeding Gerrard as skipper in 2015, none more so than this term prior to the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.
And Gerrard, who played alongside Henderson for four seasons, has praised the 29-year-old for growing in stature during his time at Anfield.
“I remember he came into Liverpool as a shy lad from Sunderland and his family asked me to keep an eye on him and look after him,” he told Tidesports source.
“He’s a very selfless person, on and off the pitch. He was a dream to play with because of his energy. I’m certainly one who’s always sung his praises because I appreciate the job he did in the team.
“I think he’s got better and better from a football point of view but, as a person, I think what he’s done over the last couple of weeks sums the human being up.
“He’s a fantastic man and he’s become a top-class midfielder. Everything he earns in the game and every accolade he gets he absolutely deserves it. He’s a role model to a lot of young kids.”
Henderson lifted the Champions League trophy last season and has helped Liverpool to open up a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League this term.
Iconic midfielder Gerrard puts his former club’s recent success down to their mental strength and has backed them to continue winning silverware.
“They’ve been phenomenal for a few years now. I thought they were very unlucky last year not to be champions, that was down to how good Manchester City were,” he said.
“They just seem to be getting better and stronger every single year. The one key thing that’s blown me away from when I played is their mental strength across the board.
“We used to have some really good professionals and mentally strong players in our squad, but it seems like from number one in the squad to number 26 they’re all monsters and all on the same page.
“To have a squad that all has that mentality, I’m really excited to watch them in the coming years as well because they’ve got a fantastic opportunity to become a very successful Liverpool team.”