STEVEN GERRARD has said that "selfless" Jordan Henderson HAS to start for Liverpool in the Champions League final against Spurs.
The Reds captain was benched by Jurgen Klopp for his side's away defeat to Barcelona but returned to the starting line-up for the stunning 4-0 comeback at Anfield.
The 28-year-old is set to become only the fifth English footballer to skipper a team at consecutive European Cup finals on Saturday.
The last man to do so was Gerrard, who captained the Merseyside club the last time they won the Champions League in 2005.
The Rangers manager told Robbie Savage on BBC Radio 5 Live: “100%. Jordan Henderson has got to start.
“I’ve always been a fan of Jordan Henderson, I believe he’s a selfless player, I think he does a lot of work for the team that goes unnoticed.
I’ve always been a fan of Jordan Henderson, I think he does a lot of work for the team that goes unnoticed
“I know what he’s like on and off the pitch. He puts himself behind everyone else; he’s just that type of person.
“I think he’s more than capable of winning any football match that he’s playing in and I think of late, certainly since he’s been playing a further forward role, he’s taken more responsibility and has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent players.”
Henderson succeeded Gerrard as Liverpool captain when the England legend finally departed the Anfield club in 2015.
And the former LA Galaxy star revealed he has spoken to the former Sunderland midfielder about taking more responsibility to influence games himself.
Gerrard added: “I’ve watched him and spoke to him and said ‘Jordan, you need to maybe try to do things yourself rather than doing the easy thing’.
“Because he’s very capable of playing the final pass or the excellent delivery in and he’s capable of scoring from the edge of the box and running into the box to set a goal up.
“Jordan will do all the dirty running and do all the covering and all the organising. I think he’s matured a lot and he’s taken more on, on the pitch.”
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