Liverpool star Jordan Henderson: I brought my physio on holiday with me

The Liverpool midfielder missed the end to last season having picked up a foot injury in February and worked around the clock over the summer to be ready for the new campaign.

Indeed, the only way he could get any sort of sunshine break, he decided, was to take one of the club’s medical staff to Portugal with him.

“For the majority of the time I was at Melwood, and then I got to go away for a week in Portugal,” Henderson explained. “But I still trained while I was there.

“The physio came with us – I just wanted to make sure I was doing everything so when I came back for pre-season I was fine and all that work paid off.

“He came to make sure I am doing the right things and to treat me, just so I could get a little break in the summer. And when we go on the beach...he comes with us - sometimes, if he wants to. I might even get him an ice-cream!”

The ploy worked and Henderson has played his part in Liverpool’s emphatic start to the Premier League season, culminating in Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal.

Yesterday, Kieran Trippier, Jack Livermore and Phil Jones missed training with minor injuries but are all expected to be fully fit for Malta on Friday.

Henderson, on the other hand, has been ready from the get-go this week. Now the 27-year-old wants to pick up his international career up where he left off – after all, he captained the side in his last outing against Spain in November.

In the interim, Harry Kane, Gary Cahill and Joe Hart all wore the armband and manager Gareth Southgate has indicated he is in no rush to make a permanent appointment.

“If you ask a lot of the lads in the dressing room, they’ll feel as though they’re ready to lead this team and of course I’m no different,” Henderson said. “It’s up to the manager at the end of the day.”

The issue has arisen, of course, following the announcement by Wayne Rooney of his international retirement. Henderson admits the news came as something of a shock, but he knows exactly what it takes to fill the hole left by a dressing-room icon.

“I was a little bit surprised because of how good he is and how hungry he is to play football,” Henderson said. “He was outstanding, and the impact he has on the lads – how good a captain he was – was amazing.

“But at the same time you have to respect his decision, and the situation is definitely similar to when Steven Gerrard left Liverpool.

“It’s not one or two people who have got to fill his position – you’ve got to do that as a team. This group will definitely do that. There are leaders who will come forward.”

How successful, though? That is the key, and Henderson is unashamed to admit he fully buys into the ultimate goal.