Terry Mac: Reds have ‘hell of a chance’ of title
Liverpool legend Terry Mcdermott reckons Jordan Henderson has a “hell of a chance’’ of being the Reds’ first League title-winning captain for nearly 30 years.
It was 1990 – shortly before Henderson was born – when the Kop last celebrated a top- flight crown, Alan Hansen lifting the old First Division trophy.
But Mcdermott, who won virtually everything in his glittering Anfield career, sees Henderson as potentially the first Liverpool skipper to hold aloft the Premier League pot.
Mcdermott, a dynamic midfielder with his home- city club and England in the ’70s and ’80s, insists Henderson – signed by Kenny Dalglish from Sunderland in a deal worth up to £20million in 2011 – has shown former boss Brendan Rodgers was wrong to tell the midfielder he could leave Liverpool a little over a year later.
Henderson stayed and Mcdermott, now 66, said: “I watch him every week and you know exactly what you’re going to get from him.
“He’s like a James Milner, an eight or nine out of 10 every game.
“He’s proved what a good player he is against some good teams. Harry Kane was England captain this summer, but it should have been Jordan. He does the job for his club and you can rely on him.
“Some say he doesn’t get forward enough. But he’s the type who keeps the ball rolling, waiting for a gap. People who understand football, they all think the same about him. He’s a great player for Liverpool and England.’’
Kop boss Jurgen Klopp, who led Liverpool to a Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid last season, has committed himself to a near-£ 200m summer spending splurge in a bid to topple Manchester City from their Premier League perch.
Brazil keeper Alisson (£ 67m) is following compatriot and midfielder Fabinho (£43m), Guinea midfielder Naby Keita (£52m) and Switzerland playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri (£13m).
And Mcdermott declared: “I think we’ve got a hell of a chance.
“I can honestly see them getting very close to Man City. Then you have Man United as well, who will improve.
“But the players Klopp is bringing in are the players we needed. Klopp is a great manager with great players.’’