• Premier League

Gerrard the best captain in the game, says Henderson

Jordan Henderson says Steven Gerrard's influence on and off the pitch not only makes him a great captain for Liverpool, but also one of the best in the game.

Gerrard is celebrating 11 years of wearing the captain's armband for his club and midfield team-mate Henderson told Liverpool FC Magazine the 34-year-old has had a huge impact on the way he approaches his game.

"Stevie's probably not only the best captain for Liverpool and before with England, but in the game itself," Henderson said in an interview with the magazine.

"Being around him has benefited me a lot. It's been huge. Every day I watch him. It's his desire to improve. He's been the best and most influential player here for such a long time but he still wants to get better."

Gerrard's long-term future at the heart of the Liverpool midfield has come into question following several indifferent performances, although manager Brendan Rodgers and Henderson both leapt to the defence of their skipper.

And Henderson explained that, while Gerrard has faced his critics this season, he has continued to have a huge effect on the dressing room both on and off the field.

"He takes training really seriously and sets the tone for how things should be," Gerrard said. "Everyone else follows. He does a lot of things that people on the outside don't see.

"On the pitch he's a great leader. You can see the goals, the passes and the tackles he makes; the way he inspires the team.

"Off the pitch he conducts himself brilliantly too. He's a genuinely nice person and everybody in the squad knows they can go to him. The most important thing is he puts the team in front of everybody else including himself. The most important thing is the team."

Henderson could well follow in Gerrard's footsteps having recently been named the club's vice-captain. And the 24-year-old maintained he thrives on the big pressures that come with playing for a club of Liverpool's stature.

He added: "The club has a worldwide reach which few clubs in the world have. You can walk down the street in a city anywhere in the world and there will be someone wearing a Liverpool shirt.

"All of that means there's a big responsibility. Everyone is watching you. Nearly all of the Premier League matches are on TV so you aren't just playing for the people inside the stadium but the people in their homes.

"Everyone has an opinion. Maybe at other clubs the focus isn't there as much. If you have a bad game once in a while it gets lost and it's forgotten quickly.

"At Liverpool the pressure is on every moment of every single game. You can't hide. I love all of that. You have to deal with the pressure in your own way. It's what you work hard for, to be in the pressure environments like this."

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