Ex-Sunderland star 'cried' after being told by Liverpool boss to find new team

Jordan Henderson once shared the emotional moment he was told he could leave the team in 2012; the midfielder refused to do so and eventually came the club's captain

Jordan Henderson recalled what Brendan Rodgers told him about his Liverpool prospects in 2012(Image: Getty Images)

Former Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson once shed tears after being deemed surplus to requirements at the club.

The Reds are set to face Henderson's old team, Sunderland, on Wednesday, a side from which Liverpool forked out nearly £20 million (around $27 million) to secure the midfielder in 2011. Henderson, now 35, clocked up 492 appearances for Liverpool over a span of 12 seasons. He departed in 2023 with a collection of trophies to his name and had spells in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq and in the Netherlands with Ajax.

He's now back in the Premier League, playing for Brentford. However, Henderson's career trajectory could have been markedly different had he accepted an offer from then-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to leave the club ahead of the 2012-13 season.

With Welsh international Joe Allen brought in by Rodgers and both Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva higher up in the pecking order, Henderson was told that the club were open to letting him go.

"I can remember it like it was yesterday," Henderson previously Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport. "It was just before we played Hearts at Anfield, and we had a game on the night.

"I had a conversation with Brendan at the hotel the day of the game, and to be fair to Brendan, he sort of gave me the option. It was more the club that was willing to let me go.

Henderson was moved to tears after what he was told at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

"Brendan said, 'Listen, it's down to you, you're not going to be starting as much as what you'd have liked, but I'll try to help you improve on what I need you to improve on. You're still young, and if you do that then maybe you get more game time as time goes on.'

"So basically I went back to my room, cried a little bit and was devastated really, but from that moment on I just tried to... it wasn't really an option for me to leave, because I hadn't been at the club very long, and I'd worked extremely hard to get there."

Henderson chose to remain and battle for his spot in the squad. He added: "I said straight away, 'Listen, I ain't going anywhere, I'll do everything I can to get in your team, and I'll prove people wrong.'

"From that moment, every day in the gym I'd give everything, every day on the training pitch I'd give everything. Just focus on myself, how I can improve, how I can be better.

"Brendan helped us a lot tactically, [and] I really think back then I could improve a lot tactically. I was good at box-to-box, I was very physical and decent technically, but the tactical elements I wasn't really taught that much, especially of what Brendan wanted.

"He brought me into his office, sat me down, showed... where he wanted us with and without the ball. I felt that helped massively, helped me understand football even more, and from that moment on, I just grew in confidence as time went on."

Henderson grafted relentlessly, eventually inheriting the Liverpool captaincy in July 2015. He took over from club legend Steven Gerrard, who departed for LA Galaxy. Throughout his spell on Merseyside, Henderson established himself as a vital cog in Jurgen Klopp's midfield machinery.

With the Reds, the England international secured the Premier League title, appeared in three Champions League finals (lifting the trophy once), and collected two League Cups, an FA Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.