Why professional Hendo fits cliché
No sport embraces a cliché quite like football. There is even a Twitter account dedicated to the game's most overused phrases. It has almost 20,000 followers.
A particular favourite of those behind the account is the term 'consummate professional', a tired description for any footballer who has never been snapped stumbling out of a nightclub at 2am.
And yet there are some footballers for whom it just fits.
Take Jordan Henderson. Over the festive period Liverpool fans got a first-hand view of the midfielder's dedication when he started against QPR despite having spent the night with his head in a bucket.
But it doesn't stop there. The England U21 captain was picked out by Steve Clarke last season as an example of a player always up for some overtime on the training pitch, and then there's the current campaign. After featuring 48 times last term Henderson had to wait three months for a Barclays Premier League start in 2012-13, but you won't find any rumblings of discontent from him in the newspapers.
Instead he set about redoubling his efforts at Melwood.
"The manager has been brilliant with me," the 22-year-old told Liverpoolfc.com. "He has tried to improve my game and help me with the things he wants me to work on. I feel as though I've done that, so hopefully there are better things to come.
"There were a couple of things tactically that I needed to improve on, being more mature in my play, going forward a lot more. I think I'm doing those things, but I'm still learning and trying to improve.
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"The night before the QPR game a few people had a bug and were being sick. The day after I didn't feel too bad and I really wanted to play.
"I felt okay in the game, to be honest. I was a little bit white when I came off - my mam and dad said that.
"I haven't started many games in the Premier League so it was one I really wanted to play in. I was given the opportunity so I didn't want to say, 'Oh, I'm ill, I can't play'. I wanted to give it everything I had and I managed to last 65 minutes or something.
"I risked it, really, but hopefully it paid off."
Pay off it did. Henderson has been one of the club's standout performers during the upturn in form over the New Year and has earned a starting berth in the last two league fixtures.
Two weeks ago at Anfield he was applauded off the pitch.
"That kind of thing means a lot," he said. "The fans have been brilliant ever since I've come to the club. They're brilliant fans, every week at Anfield and also when you play away they are amazing.
"It means a lot to us as players when they give you a clap off the pitch. It was a good moment."
The immediate target for Henderson is to retain his place in Brendan Rodgers's Premier League 11 when Liverpool travel 33 miles east to Old Trafford on Sunday in search of a fourth consecutive win.
"There are a lot of players here and everyone wants to start," he said. "Everyone wants to play against Manchester United and I'm no different. It would mean a lot.
"We're very confident going into the game, we've had some good performances and results recently.
"It is a big game, the atmosphere is brilliant, and it's a game every player wants to play in.
"Every time you go into a game you are excited, especially when it's Man United. The players will be excited.
"The key is concentrating on ourselves. We've shown in recent weeks how well we can play, so it's more of the same. If we do that, I think we'll get a good result."
While Henderson has had to battle for a place in midfield against Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Nuri Sahin, Suso, Joe Allen and Jonjo Shelvey, competition in the forward positions has been less intense.
That looks set to change with the imminent return from injury of Fabio Borini and the signing of Daniel Sturridge.
Henderson knows the latter well from playing with the national side at senior and U21 level.
The two even spoke before Sturridge made the decision to complete his transfer to Anfield last week.
"It wasn't anything much," said Henderson. "Just telling him what it's like, but Liverpool speaks for itself as a club and city. It's got great people here, the city's great and the club is massive.
"He's definitely made the right choice in coming here and I think he'll be a top player for Liverpool.
"I thought he was really good [on his debut against Mansfield last weekend]. He hadn't played for a while but he was really sharp, he got his goal. He is a big talent. I've played with him in the U21s and know him quite well, so I think he'll be good for Liverpool.
"I think it's a great signing and he'll do really well."