The Liverpool XI when Jordan Henderson made his debut for the Reds

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Bengaluru, June 11: Wednesday (June 10) marked the nine-year anniversary of Jordan Henderson joining Liverpool who eventually became the club captain in the post-Steven Gerrard era and led the Reds to their sixth Champions League trophy last season.

Within a few weeks, the 29-year-old looks all but certain to become the first Liverpool skipper in 30 years to have clinched the Premier League title. The England international has certainly established himself as a club legend at Anfield but the journey to this success has been far from rosy.

He was a part of an expensive influx of players, during FSG's first summer transfer window as club owners and had his critics from the very first day and £16m price tag was a big reason behind it. Sir Alex Ferguson famously criticised the former Sunderland midfielder for his style of running and even a major part of the Liverpool fanbase could never truly accept the player from their hearts.

Henderson also famously rejected to join Fulham as a part of a deal for Clint Dempsey as he wanted to fight for his place. And, he did it in some style and went through every transition phase of the club becoming more and more important for the club. Stars after stars came into the Liverpool side and it was perceived that Henderson was the one to be sacrificed but it was never the case as he has become one of the most vital cogs of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side which is arguably among the best Liverpool teams ever.

Here, we will take a look at the Liverpool XI when Henderson made his debut for the Reds and Henderson's incredible journey will be crystal clear. It was 13th August 2011 when Henderson marked his Liverpool debut against his boyhood club Sunderland under legendary Kenny Dalglish and the game finished 1-1.

Goalkeeper - Pepe Reina

Pepe Reina continued as the first-choice under the bar at Anfield until 2013 when he was replaced by another signing from Sunderland Simon Mignolet. Though a pretty big success as a Liverpool player, making close to 400 appearances for the club in total over seven years and winning the FA Cup in 2006, Reina made some high-profile errors in his final few years at the club which eventually made the Reds look for a new keeper.

Right-back - Jon Flanagan

Once hailed by the legendary Cafu, Flanagan was fondly called 'Red Cafu' by the Liverpool fans. Flanagan was a Red through and through and had a decent Liverpool career until injuries haunted him badly and eventually he had to move away from the club. The 27-year-old is right now plying his trade for Steven Gerrard's Rangers.

Centre-backs - Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger

Both regarded as Liverpool legends, Carragher and Agger formed the centre-back pairing at Anfield for a number of years. It was Carragher who captained the Liverpool side on the day Henderson made his debut with Gerrard missing with injury. Agger also was a top-class defender in his prime and is fondly remembered by the Liverpool fans for his immense loyalty to the club that saw him reject the advances of Barcelona. It is really sad that the Danish defender had to retire at the age of 31 after successive injuries.

Left-back - Jose Enrique

Another gifted player who was tremendously cursed by injuries was Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique. He arrived at Anfield in the same summer as Henderson (in a £5m deal from Newcastle) and was initially seen as a solid solution to a problem left-back position, playing 43 times in his first season at Liverpool. But he could feature just 21 times in three seasons between 2013 and 2016 due to back to back knee injuries. In 2017, he retired after a series of injuries and was later diagnosed with a brain tumour which he recovered from last year.

Right-midfield - Jordan Henderson

Henderson was mostly used in the right-midfield role by Kenny Dalglish in his 4-4-2 system. Throughout his career, Henderson has shown immense versatility and adaptability to play across a number of roles in different systems and passed most times with flying colours. Although, it is hardly a debate that Henderson is most effective in a box to box midfield role thanks to his immense energy and work rate.

Centre midfield - Lucas Leiva and Charlie Adam

Lucas Leiva's career at Anfield was a bit like Henderson's as they both had their critics and they both proved them wrong time and time again. Now at Lazio and still at the peak of his powers, Lucas' commitment to Liverpool was extraordinary but sadly he does not have much to show for it. Charlie Adam, meanwhile, was regarded as a major signing by Liverpool in the same summer they signed Henderson. The Scotsman was PFA Player of the Year nominee in 2011, after excelling with Blackpool, a £6.75m transfer seemed relatively risk-free for Liverpool but he failed to excel at Anfield lasting only one year at the club.

Left midfield - Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing was another major big-money signing by Liverpool in the summer of 2011 and it certainly did not work out. Although, Downing's Liverpool career was not as bad as Adam's still it was pretty underwhelming.

Strikers- Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll

Luis Suarez was far from a finished product back then but was still one of the standout players for the Reds in terms of quality. It was hoped that the Uruguayan would flourish playing alongside Andy Carroll who moved to Liverpool on a club-record deal but things did not work out as planned. Suarez eventually became one of the best forwards of the modern game whereas Carroll is still remembered as an example of overhyped and overpaid English players.