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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Theo Squires

Jordan Henderson has broken 'golden rule' to offer Jude Bellingham Liverpool transfer hint

It’s arguably been three years since Jordan Henderson was first-choice for England. While the Liverpool captain remains a valued member of Gareth Southgate’s squad, untimely injuries have ultimately seen the likes of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips jump ahead of him in the Three Lions pecking order.

He was enjoying the season of his life in 2019/20 as he captained the Reds to Premier League glory, with his efforts that year seeing him named FWA Footballer of the Year. Having started England’s five meaningful games as they finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup, he was poised for an equally talismanic role at Euro 2020 only for the coronavirus pandemic to result in the tournament’s postponement.

A season-ending groin injury, which required surgery, suffered in February 2021 ensured the midfielder was then playing catch-up to return in time for the rearranged European Championships. He wouldn’t play again for Liverpool that season, but at least proved his fitness enough to be included in Southgate’s squad.

However, that setback opened the door to Rice and Phillips to become England’s deeper midfielders in his place. An unused substitute for the Three Lions' first two group games, he'd then come on as substitute in each match as England progressed all the way to the final only to lose on penalties to Italy.

Since then, he has started just two competitive games for his country with his place in Southgate’s standings now clear. While he remains a vital member of the England squad, and an indispensable leader behind the scenes, his role at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is again likely to be as a substitute.

In truth, Jude Bellingham’s emergence has seen Henderson drop further down the pecking order. And while he might remain first-choice for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, the Reds’ well-publicised interest in his international team-mate could easily come at his expense.

With Liverpool planning an overhaul of their midfield in 2023, in the face of ageing players, expiring contracts and current injury-prone options in their squad, Bellingham is believed to be Klopp’s first-choice target as he looks to strengthen his engine-room. However, the Reds aren’t the only club monitoring the 19-year-old’s situation at Borussia Dortmund, with the likes of Man City and Real Madrid also keen.

Bellingham was first called up by England in November 2020 as the then 17-year-old became their third youngest ever international. Included in the Three Lions’ squad for Euro 2020, alongside Henderson, his substitute appearance in their opening game against Croatia saw him become the youngest England player to play at any major tournament.

And it was at Euro 2020 where it first became clear that Henderson and Bellingham have forged a close bond behind the scenes on international duty , with the Liverpool captain wasting no time in taking his younger colleague under his wing. Often pictured together when away with England, it is no surprise that Kopites have often, tongue-in-cheek, suggested that ‘Agent Hendo’ is hard at work trying to persuade the Borussia Dortmund star to join him at Anfield as a result.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England squad alongside the pair for the World Cup, such hopeful theories are only going to continue in the weeks ahead as the Three Lions navigate their way through the tournament in Qatar. After all, with Bellingham currently expected to leave Dortmund in 2023, it does offer the perfect opportunity for the Liverpool stars to get in the midfielder’s ear and do some groundwork ahead of a potential transfer.

Whether such discussions will really take place, especially when away at a World Cup, only the parties involved could possibly say. Either way, while Reds will have their fingers crossed that such leaning could aid their transfer pursuit, hoping for any optimistic advantage possible, it’s worth pointing out that Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji will both be selling Man City to their former Borussia Dortmund team-mate also.

In other words, such talk is unlikely to be decisive as Bellingham puts thoughts of his future to the back of his mind for now. When the time comes, he’ll make up his own mind about his next move.

However, his admiration for Liverpool and for Henderson is clear, with Reds legend Steven Gerrard one of his boyhood heroes and him labelling the 32-year-old as the most professional player he’s played alongside.

"I've played with really good leaders, Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson,” he told Channel 4 earlier this year. “At England, I’d probably say Hendo (is the most professional),” he told Sky Sports when asked about his team-mates. “He’s always doing extra sessions and always working hard on the pitch – even in the gym he’s always putting it in.”

Meanwhile, on both being compared to Gerrard and being praised by the Liverpool legend, he said: "It's an honour really to be put in the same sentence as players like that. Players that I've looked up to.

"I did see that (Gerrard praised me). Someone sent it to me. It was a bit surreal, to be honest. Someone sent me the clip on my phone and I saved it straight away and watched it about three or four times, then had to calm myself down. But when one of your heroes says something like that about you it's a good indication of where you're at.”

Meanwhile Henderson, who has played alongside Bellingham in six England international matches to date, has often praised his fellow midfielder and has regularly been asked about the Borussia Dortmund star in lieu of his links to Liverpool. The pair first started together along with Alexander-Arnold in a midfield three in England's 4-0 victory over Andorra in September 2021, with Reds joking at the time it was a glimpse at the future of Klopp’s engine-room.

And speaking after the game, Henderson would laud the teenager as he admitted he was ‘miles ahead’ of where the Liverpool skipper, who moved to Anfield just before his 21st birthday, was at the same age.

“I am a big fan of Jude. He’s a fantastic player,” he said. “Even at such a young age he shows fantastic maturity on and off the field. You can see how hungry he is to be a top player and has all the attributes to do that.

“It was a pleasure to play alongside him and Trent and just to try to help them cope. I was trying to help as much as I could but to be honest he is a top player who has shown that in the big games for Dortmund. I see him going from strength to strength all the time.

“I don’t want to praise him too much and put too much pressure on him but he has a very good head on his shoulders, I’m told he has good people around him and a good family, and you can see that is an important part of him. I think he will be a top player going forward.

“He looks ready. Even at such a young age he looks ready to play in the big games. I watch him for Dortmund and the way he performs is outstanding. He showed again what he can bring. A year down the line he is only going to get better so he could have a big influence.”

He continued: “He is miles ahead of me when I was that age. But for me I’d say for him to just keep doing what he’s doing. Keep working hard every day in training, stay focused on what you want to achieve.

“He’s already got that and good people around him. Just keep your feet on the ground and concentrate on football. If he does that and stays fit he’ll be a top player. He already is a top player but he’ll go from strength to strength in the next few years.”

"I don’t like speaking too highly of players, especially when they’re such a young age because everybody else seems to do that pretty quickly. But I’ve been very impressed," Henderson admitted to SPORTbible in March 2022. “I like the way he plays. I like his personality, which is the most important thing. I like the way he conducts himself. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him.

"He’s a great lad, a fantastic player and I’m sure he’ll go from strength to strength as he gets older and matures. When I watch him, he plays with such maturity even now. The sky is the limit for him really.

"He’s still very young, he’s doing so well at Dortmund [and] he’s done well whenever he’s played for England. For me, let’s just let him play football. Let him enjoy it because he is such a special talent.

"Yes, he’s got leadership qualities for sure but there’s no need to put that pressure on him right now. Let him grow into the person that he can be on his own. He’s got his feet firmly on the ground [and] has such maturity for a young player. I know in my own mind that he’s going to be a top player."

Meanwhile, when speaking at a McDonald's Fun Football event in Liverpool, Henderson said: "I like Jude, I think he's an amazing player. He's a fantastic professional and his mentality is really key for his development.

"I almost don't want to big him up too much because he's still a young lad! There will be a lot of pressure on him at a young age, but of course he's a top, top player, and I'm sure he'll have a big part to play in Qatar."

He was asked about Bellingham again as recently as this month, with the recurring theme of his praise continuing.

“I am very excited by Jude as a player and as a character and a person,” Henderson told the Daily Mail earlier this month. “I can’t speak highly enough of him. I’m cautious of speaking too much around him because it is easy to forget how young he is and there is a lot of pressure on him.

“Let him play and let him enjoy his football. He has been doing fantastically well again this season, which is no surprise. That is a huge, huge bonus going into the World Cup to have a player like him in form.”

Considering Henderson does not usually hand out compliments so readily, his admiration for Bellingham is crystal-clear. As is his public message for the midfielder with his ever-professional answers, even if he has broken his golden rule with such frequent praise. Still, he can only answer the questions he is asked. As a result, it would be easy to speculate that the Liverpool captain would love to see the teenager join him at Anfield, even if he continues to avoid handing out the transfer-heavy soundbite that those asking such dangling questions long to hear.

Henderson is already ultimately helping groom Bellingham as his long-term successor with England, with the Borussia Dortmund star poised to start at the 2022 World Cup at the Liverpool captain’s expense. Only time will tell whether the pair end up replicating such roles at Anfield in the future.

In the meantime, speculation linking Bellingham with the Reds will inevitably continue, while interest in him will only grow as the World Cup goes on. Realistically, a potential transfer to Liverpool won’t be at the forefront of their minds as the pair look to help England end 56 years of hurt.

But when the time comes to discuss the Dortmund midfielder's future, he’ll inevitably approach the Liverpool captain and sound him out for advice, given the strong bond they have already forged on international duty. In the meantime, Kopites will still hope that ‘Agent Hendo’ can subtly work some magic out in Qatar, even though such a mission, if successful, ultimately ends with Henderson losing his place for both club and country.

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