Jordan Henderson Is Looking To Create His Own Legacy At Liverpool

Jordan Henderson laughs when he hears a comparison between himself and Steven Gerrard.

It is not that he finds the parallels between both players absurd - they are both two versatile box-to-box midfielders – but Liverpool’s highest-priced signing of the summer - at a reported £20 million - has his own ambitions. He wants to create his own legacy at the storied club.

"It’s not a bad comparison but I think Steven Gerrard is Steven Gerrard and I think I just have to be myself," Henderson explained exclusively to Goal.com. "I have to do what I do best and not concentrate on anyone else."

The 21-year-old has said that Gerrard is his favourite player but that’s not the reason why he came to Anfield. Speaking to Goal.com as part of Umbro’s Geometra Boot campaign, he admitted that leaving Sunderland, the club where he rose from an academy player to professional star, was a tough decision considering the Tyneside club's fans are equally passionate as those on Merseyside.

But Henderson knew that in order to become one of the the Premier League's top players, he would have to join one of its biggest teams. The challenge of bringing success back to Liverpool, a club with great tradition which hasn’t won a domestic title since the year that he was born, in 1990, was too good of an opportunity to ignore.

"Liverpool is a massive club and I thought this would be a massive opportunity for me," said Henderson.

"They’ve got some great players and the history speaks for itself. I think the main thing going to Liverpool, was it was another chapter [of my career] and I wanted to prove myself as a player."

Inconsistency has plagued the Reds since their stunning 2005 Champions League’s win over AC Milan in Istanbul. The opening of this season has been no different. Liverpool have at times played tantalizing football and secured quality wins over Bolton and Arsenal, but at other times have looked out of sync, playing uninspiredly in a 1-0 defeat against Stoke and flat out terrible in their 4-0 rout by Tottenham.

Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League table with 10 points in six matches, but Henderson acknowledges that the aim has to be much bigger.

“Obviously, it would be nice to finish in the top four,” said Henderson, who has one goal so far this season.

More than anything, time and patience is the biggest factors that will eventually lead the Reds from a good team to one of England’s elite, according to Henderson.

In addition to Henderson, Liverpool signed Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Craig Bellamy, Sebastian Coates and Stewart Downing this summer. Add those names to the club’s expensive outlays in January in forward tandem Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, and it is easy to understand why the new-look team has struggled at times.

There is obviously a lack of coordination and chemistry, even though Henderson says the locker room support among players has been great. Once that translates on the pitch, manager Kenny Dalglish’s vision for the club will be realized, says Henderson.

"The atmosphere's been good and the lads are getting on well so I think there's a lot of new faces and we need to just get together and keep going," the midfielder said.

He added: "I think we’ve showed some good things [so far]. Obviously, there has been a lot of new signings on the team that is still trying to get together but we’ve put together some good results. When things come together, we'll start winning more games."

As for Dalglish, count Henderson as one of his fans. The young player says that he understands how the Anfield legend has transitioned so seamlessly back into management in spite of the demands of today’s modern players.

"He treats everyone with respect and he expects players to treat him with the same respect," said Henderson. "He's great with the players because he was a player once, he knows how to handle players in the way he speaks to them and treats them."

A central midfielder during his time at Sunderland, Henderson has been used by Dalglish in a variety of positions, but primarily on the right side of the midfield, hoping to take advantage of Henderson's electric pace to add width. The adjustment has shown some promise and Henderson says the most important thing is that he is on the field contributing to the team's results.

"It's a good thing to be able to play in a few different positions but the most important thing is that I'm picked," he said. "All I want to do is play football. As long as I’m in the starting XI then it doesn't matter where I fit."

In addition, Henderson believes that his two greatest strengths as a player, his work rate and eye for creating goals, will allow him to develop well in the role. Last season, he created 82 goal-scoring chances for his Sunderland team-mates, the fourth highest in the Premier League.

"I think I bring a lot of energy to the team and passing as well," he said. "Obviously, when I'm playing in a wide position, I try to deliver as much as I can to the strikers and hopefully I would think I'm okay at that but I'll keep working to get better."

Henderson might have downplayed the comparison between himself and Gerrard but that doesn’t mean that he is not hoping to learn from the Reds icon. Prior to joining Liverpool, Henderson trained with the 31-year-old before making his first cap with England in a friendly last year against France.

Gerrard, who started alongside Henderson, calls that period a great experience. Now that the two are team-mates, he expects that the club captain will guide him in becoming a more complete player.

"To be training with him every day and hopefully playing alongside him, in the end it will help me and bring me further as a player," said Henderson.