Jordan Henderson has shed light on his surprising departure from Liverpool, revealing that he no longer felt valued by the club.
The 33-year-old recently completed a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq in a transfer deal worth £12 million, plus additional performance-based add-ons. Henderson had been a mainstay at Liverpool since his arrival from Sunderland in June 2011.
During his time with the Reds, he amassed an impressive record of 492 appearances, contributing 33 goals and 57 assists. He was an integral part of the team’s success, playing a crucial role in Liverpool’s capture of seven major trophies, including the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, and FA Cup.
“There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing,” Henderson said in an exclusive interview with The Athletic. “I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. He was very honest with me.
“I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming in my position.
“And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at a club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long. Especially when England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up. And then there was an approach from Al-Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there.
“The reaction from the club again wasn’t to say no. At that moment I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that.
“If one of those people said to me, ‘now we want you to stay’, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career. Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.
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“I’m at the latter stage of my career and I want to be happy playing football. I want to play. I don’t want to be sitting on the bench and coming on for 10 minutes in games. And I knew that would have an effect on my chances of playing for England.”
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