Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson lauded as a skilled leader by manager Jurgen Klopp as he faces England rival Harry Kane at Wembley

  • Jurgen Klopp is happy at how Jordan Henderson has followed Steven Gerrard
  • Henderson is in the running to captain England at the 2018 World Cup in Russia
  • He faces his main rival to be England skipper, Harry Kane, at Wembley on Sunday

England's two rivals for the World Cup captaincy, Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson, go head-to-head at Wembley on Sunday, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp impressed with the way his man has taken on the responsibility of succeeding Steven Gerrard at club level.

International boss Gareth Southgate has alternated the armband between the two men in recent games and is still to make a decision over who leads the team in Russia.

Kane has the bigger status, which helps in major tournaments, but 27-year-old Henderson has the experience of following in Gerrard's footsteps at Anfield. Gerrard also led England at the last two World Cup finals.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is happy at how Jordan Henderson has followed Steven Gerrard

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is happy at how Jordan Henderson has followed Steven Gerrard

Henderson is in the running to captain England at the 2018 World Cup in Russia next summer

Henderson is in the running to captain England at the 2018 World Cup in Russia next summer

'I am not here to make a commercial for Jordan Henderson. He is the captain here and that says everything about what I think of him,' said Klopp.


'Jordan was already the captain when I came here and after a few weeks I saw that made more than sense. Jordan is a very good guy. He is a serious professional person and he feels responsible for the club and the team.

'He has a lot of qualities. Being captain after Steven Gerrard is not an easy job but he dealt with it and that makes him a very skilled guy.'

Henderson has played 36 times for his country and captained England four times under Gareth Southgate in the post-Wayne Rooney era.

He skippered the team to wins against Malta and Slovakia last month but Kane was then chosen to lead the team out for the most recent internationals against Slovenia and Lithuania. 

Henderson faces his main rival to be England skipper, Harry Kane, at Wembley on Sunday

Henderson faces his main rival to be England skipper, Harry Kane, at Wembley on Sunday

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