Henderson deserves Premier League Player of the Year award - Shearer

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is the leading candidate to win the Premier League Player of the Year award, according to former England star Alan Shearer.

With a 22-point advantage at the summit of the standings, it is seemingly a matter of time before Jurgen Klopp’s men end their 30-year wait for a top-flight title having pieced together a magnificent campaign which threatens to re-write the history books.

And central to their efforts has been the consistency and leadership of Henderson, according to the league's all-time top goalscorer Shearer, who received the PFA Player of the Year prize in 1994-95 when he led Blackburn Rovers to the title.

“I believe that if the season was to end tomorrow, he would be my Player of the Season. Absolutely no doubt about it,” he explained on BBC’s ‘Match of the Day’.

Shearer was once again left impressed by the former Sunderland midfielder in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Southampton, a match in which he netted after Alex Oxlade-Chamerlain had given the Reds the lead early in the second half.

“I think he was magnificent again today,” Shearer said. “The way he drove Liverpool forward, the way he kept everything moving, his attitude, his work-rate both attacking and defensively, starting moves off, can he pass it forward? Yes he can.

“He gets his reward of his goal because of his hard work. I thought he was magnificent, as he has been all season.

“What a season he's having, absolutely incredible.

“When you look at some of their performances, how special Liverpool have been, whether it's the goalkeeper, [Virgil] Van Dijk, or the front three, he for me has been the driving force. He's been superb.”

Henderson has played in all 24 of Liverpool’s Premier League matches this season, with Klopp’s side having dropped only two points all campaign. He has contributed with three goals and four assists in these fixtures.

Meanwhile, he has played 32 fixtures overall this season, having recently hit the 350-appearance mark for the Anfield club.

Henderson will hope to play a significant role for England in the summer during Euro 2020, with the 29-year-old having already claimed 55 caps for his country.