The Liverpool skipper was in the studio for the weekly light-hearted show on LFCTV and opened up on a wide range of subjects – including a couple of questions from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Read on for the best bits, featuring Henderson’s take on his role as captain, this summer’s World Cup and the competitive ‘young v old’ clashes within the squad…
On his shooting from distance…
“I used to be told to do it more [as a youngster]. In training, I would do it quite a lot in shooting sessions and I was quite good at times. I think my finishing is quite good, but when it comes to a game I’m probably a little bit unselfish – laying people in. I’ve always been encouraged to do it more.”
On his Sunderland connection and facing Newcastle United this weekend…
“I’ve been away from Sunderland for a long time now but it’s always in your blood. My family are big Sunderland fans. It’s always nice to play against Newcastle – especially when we win.”
On meeting Manchester United next week…
“It’s a massive game. It’s an amazing occasion, I love going to Old Trafford. When you win it’s even better.”
On leading Liverpool out at Anfield…
“It’s an amazing feeling to captain Liverpool. When I was asked to do it, obviously it was a huge honour. It’s a massive responsibility but one I felt I could take on. I felt I was the right person to do it. To lead the team out, especially at Anfield, feels amazing. It’s one I hope to do for a few more years yet. We’ve got a great set of lads, we’ve got a lot of leaders within the team and I feel the responsibility is not solely on me. It’s on a lot of the senior players as well – we all chip in together. And I think that’s good to have in the group with different players and different nationalities. It’s always good to have a few leaders in the team, which we’ve got. But it’s still a huge responsibility and one I try to do to the best of my ability on and off the pitch, making sure I’m there for the lads when they need me.”
On what is next on his bucket list…
“Winning trophies, any major trophy – that has got to be the aim and has always been the aim throughout my career, to win as many trophies as possible. That’s the biggest thing I want to achieve as a team.”
On the pressure of representing England at the World Cup…
“There has been a lot of expectancy around the England teams for many years now. The bottom line is, especially since I’ve been in the squad, we haven’t really achieved what we’re capable of doing in terms of getting further in the competition – whether that’s the World Cup or the Euros. So it’s a big test for us this summer but I’m full of confidence in the team; we have some outstanding players and good togetherness. I’ve always felt that going into a tournament we’ve got some fantastic players, so why not go for the trophy? Obviously, it hasn’t worked out like that so far. But I’m still very confident with the team we’ve got this summer coming.”
On working with Gareth Southgate…
“He has settled in brilliantly. The lads have taken to him really well; he has put his own ideas and stamp on things. So far it has worked really well in the games we have played. I feel the team has improved, formations have changed now and again – which has suited us. It’s a big few months coming up for the team and the manager, but so far he has been brilliant.”
On Adam Lallana’s latest haircut…
“I am [a fan] – I prefer it shorter like he has it now. I was probably an influence on him getting it cut. It’s much better now.”
On the ‘young v old’ game at Melwood…
“It’s young at the minute. We’ve got a young old team – and the young team is very young! I’m not sure what the score is, I think [the young team] are ahead by a couple. I got injured around December – it’s nothing to do with me, I think they’ve lost more since I came back! – but that’s when Ox started coming in and going, ‘we’re winning’. So when I came back I said, ‘right, I’m back, young v old, we’re going to come back now’. But we’ve ended up losing! It’s normally the day before a game. They might be ahead by one or two but I’m sure that’ll change by the end of the season.”