Former Liverpool skipper set to be handed Ajax captaincy

Former Reds skipper Jordan Henderson is set to be handed the captaincy at new club Ajax - despite only having made one appearance for the club.

According to the Mirror, Henderson is expected to be handed the armband for the first time when the Dutch giants travel to Heerenveen on Sunday.

It will only be Henderson's second appearance for the club since his arrival from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq, having made his debut last weekend in a 1-1 draw with runaway league leaders PSV.

The 33-year-old will take captain duties because of an injury to former Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn - but Ajax manager John van't Schip is keen to make the appointment a permanent one due to the impact the Englishman has already had on the dressing room.

Of course, Henderson captained Liverpool in their glory years under Jurgen Klopp, winning all that there was to win - lifting a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Club World Cup during his 12-year spell at the club.

Upon his Anfield departure, he immediately went on to captain Steven Gerrard's Ettifaq side after arriving in the Middle East - but after two months without a win while playing in front of sparse crowds, Henderson called it quits on the Saudi project and forced a move back to Europe.

Henderson has now already established himself as a key figure in the Ajax dressing room, something young midfielder Kenneth Taylor has spoken on.

Taylor said: “Jordan’s presence in the team and dressing room is huge. Everyone can tell he has played at top level in Europe and in England for years. Jordan is a leader and a coach on the pitch in such a good and natural manner.

“He is constantly supporting young players, he sees things quicker than others and tells us how to anticipate all the time. That is already resulting in a more fluent playing style.

"Simple things are now stuck in the head of the players, which creates a lot of automatic things in our game. I love all that.”

In his attempts to get a move back to Europe, Henderson was forced to take a mammoth pay cut from his reported £750,000-per-week deal at Ettifaq.

However, Henderson remains the highest-paid player at Ajax, with his contract bringing him in £100,000 a week - a salary Taylor reckons he is worth every penny of.

“None of us find this [Henderson’s wages] annoying, because Jordan is such a wonderful and social person," he added.

"He has been calling players to come and listen to what he has to say. He also wants to know how I like to receive the ball.

“And what we all loved about him in his first game is that he kept going, in attack and when we had to defend. To me it is fantastic to get an insight into what is demanded at the top level.

"It is too early to say how things will work out exactly with Jordan in our team, but for me it feels really good to have a player like him.

“I sense the same appreciation among other players when they talk about Jordan. The atmosphere has really changed. Jordan is giving us an extra boost. Not only for us, the players, but the fans love him too.

"It has brought back the hope that we can still achieve a top-three position in the league.”