Jordan Henderson has revealed that sharing a dressing room with Steven Gerrard was one of the key reasons why he swapped Sunderland for Liverpool in 2011.
The England international completed a £20m switch to Anfield six years ago, bringing an end to his decade-long association with boyhood club Sunderland.
Henderson, who joined the Reds on the same day as Charlie Adam, Alexander Doni and Stewart Downing, has now revealed all about the "surreal" transfer and how he was soon made to feel welcome by his idol.
"Moving clubs is part of the game," he told The Players' Tribune. "In June 2011, I got a call from an official at Sunderland while I was having lunch with my girlfriend and some mates. On the call, they told me that a deal with Liverpool had been agreed on, and that I should head down that way to agree on personal terms.
"A few hours later, my dad and I were in the car driving down the M6 to Liverpool. We got in late and the next morning I was at Melwood. By the afternoon, I was officially a Liverpool player. It was kind of surreal. One of the reasons Liverpool was significant to me was because it meant sharing a dressing room with Steven Gerrard.
"He was my favourite England player when I was growing up. He has also been a big influence on my career, first of all from afar and watching him on TV and then even more so when I got to know him properly. It was a bit strange at first being around Stevie — he was such a big player for both Liverpool and England.
"However, he's the kind of person who makes you feel relaxed pretty quickly. Before long being around him was completely normal, and he was a great person to learn from day to day at the club."
Henderson, appointed Liverpool captain upon Gerrard's Anfield exit in 2015, has made 27 appearances for the club in all competitions this term.
Daniel Lewis
