For Jordan Henderson, it was a marathon rather than a sprint.
The Liverpool captain had to wait patiently for his message to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to sink in because, apparently, Henderson had spent the last five years trying to convince his fellow England international to switch clubs.
After joining the Reds on transfer deadline day, Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed the role that Henderson played in persuading him to move to Anfield after six seasons under Arsene Wenger’s tutelage.
“When I was with England with Stevie [Gerrard] we touched on Liverpool but Jordan [Henderson] is the one who most talked about Liverpool,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told The Times.
“For five years he’s kept telling me that I need to come to Liverpool because he was enjoying it so much and he feels I’d fit in, and the club would get the best out of me. This week it’s come true.”
Since his arrival, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been praised by his new manager, Jurgen Klopp, for his versatility.
The Reds boss has insisted that there are as many as four positions that in which the 24-year-old can play.
“In the system we use at the moment, he can play in four different positions,” Klopp said during his pre-match press conference.
“He can play in both the number 8 roles and in both wide roles.
“He is a very good football player. He is good in small spaces. Really good in big spaces. A good dribbler. A good passer.
“We want to have him on the pitch as often as possible.”
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