Former Liverpool transfer chief Damien Comolli has revealed how an embarrassing incident for Jordan Henderson against rivals Newcastle ultimately persuaded the club to sign the midfielder.
Henderson joined the Reds from Sunderland in the summer of 2011 and the club captain has now established himself as an integral member of Jurgen Klopp's Premier League champions-elect.
But before he hit the big time, Henderson was attempting to make a name for himself with his boyhood club - and he endured several setbacks.
One of which was during a game with fierce Tyne–Wear rivals Newcastle where the Toon fans "were laughing" at the midfielder after a mistake.
And Comolli has revealed how Henderson bounced back from that situation, the Liverpool chief having opened up on a conversation he had with then Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn.
He told The Times : "I had some tough negotiations with Niall Quinn [Sunderland chairman] at the time.
"We were stuck at £15 million and Liverpool’s owners [Fenways Sports Group] told me I couldn’t go higher.
"One evening, I was having a conversation with Niall on the phone and he was telling me about how when Sunderland had played Newcastle, Jordan took a free kick and the ball went straight into the stand.
"All the Newcastle fans were laughing at him. The next week Jordan took 300 free kicks in training - they had to stop him because he was about to get injured.
"But that made me think that, on top of everything Kenny [Dalglish, the Liverpool manager] and I had seen, there was the commitment and desire to improve.
"They are all the ingredients of a top player."
Since arriving at Liverpool, Henderson has replaced the legendary Steven Gerrard as club captain and is now a key player under Klopp.
The England star helped the Reds lift the Champions League trophy last season and is just two wins away from securing a Premier League title triumph.
