Liverpool’s alternative to Jordan Henderson signing had a very different career

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Jordan Henderson has been an integral cog in Liverpool’s return to glory in recent years.

The Sunderland-born midfielder overcame criticism early on in his career to become both a Champions League and Premier League-winning captain with over 400 appearances under his belt.

Once the 31-year-old skipper eventually decides to hang up his boots, he will likely go down as the club’s second-most revered midfielder this century, behind only the great Steven Gerrard.

As such, it is hard to imagine the Reds without their vocal leader, but there was in fact a point where the Merseyside club were contemplating signing another young prospect from Sunderland.

Henderson was bought for around £20million in 2011, yet former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also showed interest in lesser-known Black Cats midfielder David Meyler.

Meyler revealed to the Sunday World that he was “close” to joining Liverpool but the club eventually opted to sign the future England vice-captain.

He said: "I have had conversations with Kenny about how close I was to getting the chance to go there.

"I was a big Liverpool fan as a kid and my dream was always to play for the club and Kenny told me that when he was identifying midfielders, he picked out myself and Jordan Henderson as potential targets.”

Meyler at the time had made just 15 Premier League appearances in comparison to Henderson’s 71 and struggled to break into the first-team even after his teammate’s departure.

The Republic of Ireland international would join Hull City permanently in 2013 after an initial loan spell, where he remained for six seasons as the Tigers yo-yoed between the championship and top tier.

After signing a two-year contract with Reading, Meyler moved to Coventry on loan in the 2018/19 season where he was blighted by injury.

He called time on his career in 2019 aged just 30, having played a century of Premier League games and 26 senior caps for Ireland.

Do you think Meyler would have been successful at Liverpool? Let us know in the comments section.

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And he admits that while there is a ‘what-if’ in his mind surrounding the transfer that never materialised, he opts for a more grateful outlook on his career.

He said: "You look at what Jordan has gone on to achieve, you might think what-if. But this is a question that will never have an answer.

“I'll never play for Liverpool now, so there is no point in talking about it.

"I don't like to look back with any regrets. We can all live in a world of what-ifs… but I like to look back at what I achieved.”

  • Liverpool FC
  • Sunderland FC
  • Hull City FC
  • Premier League
  • Championship
  • Champions League
  • Steven Gerrard
  • Reading FC

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