Jordan Henderson has been named vice-captain of the Liverpool Football Club.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has appointed Henderson as Steven Gerrard's deputy following a meteoric rise on Merseyside which has come not long after he was being linked with a premature departure.
24-year old Henderson was much-maligned after joining from Sunderland in the summer of 2011 but is now a key member of Rodgers' squad and the boss was thrilled to now be able to install him in the leadership group at Anfield.
"Yes, Jordan is our new vice-captain. I have been here a couple of years now and been able to give the decision real thought," Rodgers said.
"He's someone who represents a lot of what we are about - him and Stevie (Gerrard) are the moral compass of our group, how they conduct themselves on and off the field, how they train, how they work."
The manager added: "There's a great story of him joining here, when he came in and had a difficult season. The first summer I came here he had the opportunity to leave.
"I did not push him out or ask him to go. But, like I do with all the players if a club comes in, I present them with the opportunity they may have.
"I said 'listen, you have a chance to go to Fulham and you can go and play every week, or you can stay here. I can't guarantee you a game straight away, but I know one thing for sure, I will improve you as a player.' He wanted to stay.
"I felt that first period being out of the team really helped him tactically because we could work more on video and analyse his game and from that he has really grown in confidence.
"You see now for club and country he holds himself really well, he's got a great stature and I think he will be around here for years to come."
#LFC are delighted to confirm Jordan Henderson is the club's new vice-captain pic.twitter.com/uAM02GCwDG
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 15, 2014
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