Paul Scholes has suggested Jordan Henderson could have “fallen out” with Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool captain was named as a substitute for the Reds’ trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The FA Cup champions fell to a disappointing 1-0 loss at the City Ground after ex-Red Taiwo Awoniyi handed the hosts all three points early in the second half.
No. 14 Liverpool showed up just after the hour mark but failed to have the desired impact on the game with Klopp’s men now sitting seventh in the table and five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
“He’s got Jordan Henderson on the bench, he should be playing,” Scholes told MatchDay Extra on Premier League Productions (via HITC). “He is the team leader. He is the captain and the only one, Casemiro’s type of role, and he makes everyone participate.
“It seems to have gotten into a fight with him or have an injury. There’s something not quite right there.”
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Henderson has spent time on the sidelines with a hamstring injury this season, but is now believed to be back to full form, meaning his omission from the starting XI was purely a tactical decision by the German manager.
However, he hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, and there are suggestions the 32-year-old is now struggling to keep up with the demands of this Liverpool team as consistently as possible.
His importance to the team remains undoubted as he is a true leader and someone who sets an example both on and off the pitch, but you would have every right to suggest that it was Thiago Alcantara who was lost in midfield yesterday. instead of the England international.
Curtis Jones failed to impress and despite the efforts of Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, we didn’t really seem capable of scoring from open play.
Henderson has completed the full 90 minutes just three times this term and, at this point, it looks like Klopp could be phasing him out of the squad.
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