"You always knew" - Darren Bent on Jordan Henderson as a youngster

Former Premier League footballer Darren Bent has claimed that he always knew Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson would develop into a fine player.

The England international joined the club from Sunderland for a transfer fee of £16.20 million back in the summer of 2011.

Henderson has been a superb player for Liverpool over the years. The 32-year-old has made 449 appearances for the Reds' first-team.

Henderson has also captained the club to six major trophies. However, Bent has not been surprised by the midfielder's rise.

As quoted by AW's Twitter account, he told talkSPORT: "You always knew he had the dedication. When we were at Sunderland he was a young kid, maybe 18. There had been lots of talk about him, he’d been linked to everyone, but he got his head down, worked hard and set a good example.

"I always knew he would go on to become something special. He would call out senior players. It takes a lot of courage to call out senior players when they weren’t pulling their weight, he was giving them a rollocking… at 18.

"Even in training, he didn’t want his team to lose possession of the ball, he didn’t want to lose a five-a-side. We knew he had that determination and passion. I always knew he would succeed.

"What you didn’t want to happen when he left for Liverpool was for people to compare him to Steven Gerrard. He is a great of the Premier League and they are two completely different players. I wanted people to judge him in his own rights.

"Now people realise how good and important he has been to Liverpool."

Anfield Watch Verdict

Henderson has been such a warrior for the club. So, the midfielder deserves every bit of praise that he receives.

It would be fair to assume that Henderson will finish his career at Anfield.

He averaged a WhoScored player rating of 6.86 across 35 Premier League appearances last season. The aforementioned figures highlight that Henderson is still performing to a high level.

Also, the Englishman's contract does not expire until the summer of 2025.