Being the captain at Liverpool Football Club comes with great honour and responsibility.
Steven Gerrard left a legacy after being captain for ten years. No one is walking through Melwood and demanding to be the next captain.
It is something that is earned. Steven Gerrard earned it and represented the club better than anyone else could.
Jordan Henderson has been the captain for the past two seasons and although he has the respect of the fans and club, he doesn’t scream out future captains for years to come.
His position as captain is not in immediate jeopardy, but there are alternatives, some current and some future players, that could assume the role.
We polled the Tavern to gauge opinions about who they would choose to be captain if it wasn’t Henderson.
We had some interesting takes and we came up with a list of FIVE future captains for Liverpool FC…….
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE 5 PLAYERS!
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Jon Flanagan
The young lad loves Liverpool and Liverpool loves him.
A local boy who rose through ranks has had trouble with injuries the past 18 months.
However, he has been reintroduced slowly into the side and with the sound of the crowd behind him, his confidence is coming back as well.
He has the respect of the players, coaches, and fans.
He’s not afraid to stick up for his teammates and he knows the values of the club.
This is something Liverpool fans look for in a captain. He isn’t the most outspoken player on the field, but he leads by example.
There are some captains who do just that and gain great results. Flanagan would seem like a perfect fit to be captain.
Jordan Rossiter
The 18-year-old has been captaining the youth teams for Liverpool, which makes it seem likely he would resume the same role for the first team.
He has tremendous talent and Klopp has spoken about his excitement to gain a player like him back. He has the passion and is certainly not afraid to bark out instructions when needed. The kid has no fear.
For Rossiter to become captain, he needs to be consistent for the under-21’s and wait for his turn.
He is still extremely young and the club doesn’t want to rush his development.
However, once he locks down a consistent first team place, he should assume the armband and lead Liverpool for years, just like Gerrard.
Mamadou Sakho
He has been with the club since 2013 and has been a fan favourite since he’s arrived.
After being captain at PSG for a couple seasons, he knows how to lead a big club.
Language barrier could become an issue for any international player, but as long as he can instruct the team, being a foreigner shouldn’t influence the credentials.
It could cause some controversy within the club to replace the captain with another squad player, but it worked when Gerrard took over from Sami Hyypia.
Every manager has their preference and at the end of the season, Klopp might believe there is time for a new captain. If it will be given to any current Liverpool player, it will be Sakho.
Lloyd Jones
Assuming he can break into the first team, he has experience captaining the youth teams.
Currently on loan at Blackpool, he has the potential to be a future Liverpool centre back.
Our knowledgeable locals have seen his matches for the youth teams and they share that he has the vocal abilities to organize a team and lead by example. Two extremely important qualities to have for a captain.
However, one worry about this potential captain is the ability to break into the first team. Connor Coady was captain for the youth teams for Liverpool and he was unable to lock down a spot in the first team.
Being captain for the youth teams doesn’t guarantee first team action and potentially captaincy. However, Jones is a born leader and with experience, he could assume the role.
Neven Subotic (Currently at Borussia Dortmund)
With any new managers, they prefer to bring in their own players and make their own stamp on the club.
Subotic was rumoured to come in early January, but to no avail.
However, don’t think Klopp will forget about him in the summer. If he comes to Merseyside, our punters believe he could become captain.
He is a vocal leader which is important for any new captain to possess.
His partnership with Mats Hummels produced results with both of them sharing leadership skills.
He would have to win over the players and fans, but if he can play well from the beginning, he could eventually become captain.
