Brendan Rodgers has backed Jordan Henderson to fill the void left by Steven Gerrard when the Liverpool captain leaves at the end of the season.
The 34-year-old confirmed on Friday that he will not renew his contract and will leave in the summer, with the star set to head to Major League Soccer.
Henderson has flourished under Rodgers’s tutelage alongside Gerrard after initially struggling in his early days at Anfield, and his manager is confident the 24-year-old can step into the ex-England skipper’s shoes.
“I think Jordan Henderson has all the leadership attributes, that was one of the reasons I made him vice-captain…he had no greater captain to learn from than Steven,” Rodgers told reporters.
“He was benefiting from his example even before he was vice-captain, but certainly in that new role he has been in pole position in terms of learning from a great, how the job works on and off the field.
“So when the day comes that Steven does move on we feel we have someone there to offer the same wisdom and knowledge even if he is a different type of player.”
With Gerrard the current Liverpool captain, Rodgers will be looking to appoint a new leader in the summer but the manager insists he has no concerns regarding a dip in on-pitch desire.
He continued: “We’ve got players that are keen and hungry to progress. I see leadership qualities even in the likes of young Raheem Sterling. This is a kid that will go on and develop into a world-class talent.
“We have enough leaders in that changing room that will now step up and hopefully grow into the type of captain a successful team needs.
“At times when Steven was on the bench I felt the players were looking for his leadership, looking for the captain to come on.
“This is an opportunity now for the players from within to take a step forward, because from the end of the season Steven won’t be here.”
