Jordan Henderson admits he was in a "very dark place" when Liverpool wanted to offload him less than 18 months after he'd signed.
The Reds skipper completed a miraculous turnaround as he hoisted the Premier League trophy aloft back in the summer.
Henderson's path to success was by no means an easy one though.
The former Sunderland youngster was a £20m signing back in 2011 but failed to match expectations initially.
Brendan Rodgers came in as boss in 2012 and had a frank conversation with Henderson as he eyed a swap deal that would've seen Clint Dempsey join from Fulham.
The now 30-year-old rejected the opportunity and was determined to prove his worth at Anfield.
A switch was flicked in Henderson and a renewed motivation drove him to achieve success with Liverpool.
He has done so in recent years, but the route to the top was anything but simple.
“That was a difficult moment I remember very clearly,” Henderson told the Guardian when recalling being told he could leave.
“We were preparing for a [Europa League qualifying] game against Hearts at Anfield. We met as normal in the [Hope Street] hotel and I got a knock on my door saying the manager wanted to speak to us.
"To be fair to Brendan Rodgers, it was really just a conversation. It was an opportunity [to leave for Fulham] I didn’t want and I didn’t like. I still felt I had an awful lot to give.
“But I was in a very dark place at that time. It made us a lot stronger and a lot wiser later on and, without that, you never know what could have happened.
"So I really cherish them moments because you need setbacks, you need adversity. You get back up, and it makes you stronger because you want to prove people wrong.
"Ever since that day I had something in me. I needed to prove to the manager I would get in his team eventually.
"I’d do absolutely everything to be in his team, this football club, and I’d prove them wrong. In the end I did.”
Henderson came second in BBC's Sports Personality of the Year last month and enjoys hero status on the red half of Merseyside.
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