Jordan Henderson has completed his move to Al-Ettifaq.
The Liverpool captain will link up with his former teammate Steven Gerrard, who manages the Saudi Arabian club.
It brings to an end a 12-year spell at Liverpool – one in which the former Sunderland lad won everything, from the League Cup and FA Cup to the Champions League and Premier League.
After his £20m move from Sunderland in 2011 at the age of 20, he went on to make 492 appearances for the Reds, scoring 33 goals and providing 57 assists.
Initial reactions from Liverpool fans who were expecting ‘the next Stevie G’ were mixed, but Henderson worked hard to establish himself in the team and was the obvious candidate to take over the captaincy when Gerrard hung up his boots in 2015.
While the club has continued to strengthen the squad over the last few seasons, Henderson has struggled with injuries and found it harder to maintain his position in the starting XI.
Once interest from Saudi Arabia broke, it became obvious that it would just be a matter of agreeing terms on a deal before his transfer was completed.
In a farewell message to Liverpool fans, Henderson admitted: “I can’t lie, there have been hard times, really hard times. But when I look back at my career at Liverpool, it will always be the good times that I remember.”
Best of luck for the future, Hendo!
