Being offered on a swap deal away from Anfield in his early days for the Merseyside Reds put Jordan Henderson in “a very dark place”, recalled the Reds captain while speaking to the Guardian.
Henderson’s initial years at Liverpool FC since sealing a move to the Merseysiders from boyhood side Sunderland was subject to wide fold criticism as the England midfielder struggled to live up to the expectations set by the Liverpool FC fanbase, with the Anfield outfit even having pondered over offloading him to cut their losses.
The 30-year-old has now revealed about the moment when the then-Liverpool FC boss Brendan Rodgers spoke to him about a possible swap deal involving him moving to Fulham as the Reds sought to bring in Clint Dempsey from Vicarage Road, an opportunity to leave for new pastures which was turned down by Henderson.
“That was a difficult moment I remember very clearly,” Henderson said.
“We were preparing for a [Europa League qualifying] game against Hearts at Anfield. We met as normal in the 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 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.”
The England international’s stock within the halls of Anfield have taken a dramatic turn for the best in recent years, with him leading the Merseysiders to Champions League and Premier League glories, establishing his credentials as one of the greatest skippers of the Reds in the modern era.
