Gerrard ‘irreplaceable’ for England – Henderson

The Liverpool captain announced his retirement from international duty earlier in July and his team-mate has now urged the younger players to step up and prove their worth


Jordan Henderson has hailed Steven Gerrard as “irreplaceable” and believes England’s young players need to show their worth in his absence.

Liverpool captain Gerrard announced his retirement from the international scene earlier in July after 14 years’ service with the national side and on the back of the Three Lions’ worst ever showing at the World Cup.

Roy Hodgson’s squad was filled with youthful talent and Henderson, who has been touted as one man who could fill the hole left by the departing Gerrard, has called on those players to step up.

“Let’s face it, you can never replace a player like Steven Gerrard because he’s probably the best player this country has ever seen – so yes, he’s irreplaceable,” Henderson is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

“I don’t think you even necessarily try to fill that void. He is a one-off, I see him every day [at Liverpool] and I don’t think there is any player like him.

“But what we have to do is develop the young talent coming through, and there is a lot of it. We’ve got to give them space to go and show how good they are.

“The likes of myself, Jack [Wilshere], Ross [Barkley] or whoever is in the England team need to take more responsibility, step up to the plate and take more of a leadership role if needed.”

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