Jordan Henderson left Liverpool because he no longer felt wanted after Jurgen Klopp chat

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has claimed that money was not the driving factor behind his controversial summer transfer to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq

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Jordan Henderson claims that he left Liverpool because he was no longer wanted.

Henderson, 33, became one of the most high-profile players to accept a lucrative transfer to the Saudi Pro League during the summer transfer window when Al-Ettifaq came calling.

The England star was reportedly offered a huge £700,000-a-week package to quit Anfield – but the veteran midfielder has scotched talk that he moved to the Middle East solely for financial reasons, revealing that his mind was made up after learning he would not be starting as many games for Liverpool during private talks with boss Jurgen Klopp over the summer.

Henderson said: “There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing. I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. He was very honest with me. I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming in my position.”

Speaking to The Athletic he continued: “And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at a club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long. Especially when England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up. And then there was an approach from Al-Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there. The reaction from the club again wasn’t to say no.

“At that moment I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that.”

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Jordan Henderson has explained the reasons behind his controversial transfer to Al-Ettifaq(TNT Sport)

Henderson clocked up just shy of 500 appearances for the Reds during his 12-year stint at Anfield, lifting the Premier League, the Champions League and both domestic cups.

The veteran was also given the Liverpool captaincy by Klopp after Anfield legend Steven Gerrard – now his head coach at Al-Ettifaq – left the club. And while Henderson claims he found the club’s stance over his future hard to take, he holds no hard feelings.

He continued: “I’ve got very good relationships with Jurgen, with the owners of the club. That’ll be forever. What we’ve achieved together in the past 12 years has been incredible. But at the same time, it was hard for me to take that.

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“If one of those people said to me, “Now we want you to stay”, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career. Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.

“I was working so hard and people saw the shape that I came back in. But when I got back, it was still the same situation, which made me think, “Actually, this time, does it matter what I do?”

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