Micah Richards says Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is ‘world-class’

Former England defender Micah Richards has caused a bit of a stir on social media by branding Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson ‘world-class’.

The ex-Manchester City full-back reckons the Reds captain belongs in the top bracket along with Three Lions skipper Harry Kane.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “In midfield, there’s no other world, world-class midfielders. Henderson, you’d argue Henderson’s world-class, because of what he’s done and consistency and whatnot.

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“He’s won a European Cup, he’s been consistent over the last three or four years. Yeah, it really is [hard to write off a Champions League-winning captain].

“You know what, I’m going to go with that statement, I’m going to say Henderson is world-class and a lot of the work that he does goes unnoticed because he’s not getting 10 assists a season or scoring 10 goals a season.”

Henderson has been a trusted member of the Liverpool starting XI since his arrival at the club in 2011 from Sunderland for £20 million (BBC Sport).

To date, he has made 339 appearances for the club.

TBR’s view – Is Henderson really world-class?

Henderson has some brilliant qualities – his leadership and commitment to the cause being arguably his best.

(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

But to put him in the world-class bracket is probably a bit far.

He may have captained his club to a Champions League title but, realistically he can’t hold a candle to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, N’Golo Kante and even his teammate Fabinho.

Henderson has a brilliant mentality, but his limited on-the-ball ability surely means he cannot be considered alongside the game’s elite.