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Brendan Rodgers had a handful of options when it came to replacing Daniel Agger as vice captain, but none so obvious as Jordan Henderson. The midfielder was an obvious fan favourite, and while Rodgers could have selected from a variety of older or longer-serving players, he went with the former England U21 captain to deputize Steven Gerrard. The gesture was not lost on Henderson.
"Giving me the vice-captaincy is a sign [Brendan Rodgers] trusts me," Henderson told Liverpool's official magazine. "I trust him. I've got a lot to thank him for really, in the way he's improved me as a player and also as a person off the field. It's also encouraging that the manager has given me the extra responsibility.
"All I can do is keep doing what I've been doing and look to support Stevie in any way I can as well as the team, of course. For me, nothing changes. My attitude towards training and games will remain the same. I just want to try my best and help the team to win football matches. That's the most important thing."
Indeed it is. Henderson's trajectory at Liverpool has been well charted, and his never-say-die approach after finding himself out of favour with his manager is the stuff made-for-TV movies are made of. (ESPN, take note.) From makeweight in a thwarted deal for Clint Dempsey to vice-captain in two years is an incredible turn around, and Henderson's growth as a player and a leader has many already considering what his next step at Liverpool might be.
Henderson himself seems aware of the talk swirling around him now that he's accepted the vice captaincy. For those thinking that playing deputy to Steven Gerrard is a shortcut to the captaincy upon Gerrard's retirement, Henderson warns that people shouldn't get too ahead of themselves.
"Just because I'm vice-captain now doesn't mean I'm going to be captain in the future. I'm not taking anything for granted."
