Sir Kenny Dalglish knew Jordan Henderson was destined for the top when he signed him for Liverpool - as long as he stopped letting the world know every time he made a mistake.
Dalglish, who signed the then-20-year-old from Sunderland for £16.2million in 2011, said: “To start with he was very demanding of himself and he would wave his arms if he misplaced a pass.
“I said to him, ‘Don’t do that. If you do that everybody knows you’ve made a mistake. It might be a mistake but don’t tell everybody and show them. Just take control of yourself. You can play, you’ve no problems’.
“As long as he wasn’t too hard on himself, he always had a chance to go really top draw and he has done that now.
“His service to Liverpool has been phenomenal and, by the way, what an outstanding person he is as well as a footballer.”
While Henderson joined Liverpool nine-and-a-half years ago, then-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was also keeping a close eye on the Englishman.
Recalling the transfer saga ahead of Sunday's clash between the two north-west giants, Ferguson said: "There was criticism from Brendan Rodgers about my assessment of Jordan.
"The actual story was we were ready to make a bid for him at Sunderland. I spoke to Steve Bruce.
"Our scouting/medical department said they weren’t happy with his running style. They said he could be the type to get injuries.
"I had to make sure players would always be available. But we loved Jordan as a player. He has proved that now.
"All the stories I hear about him tell me that I missed out on a really good person."
Henderson has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, and may be forced to fill in at centre-back for the clash with United.
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