Newcastle manager Steve Bruce was impressed with the leadership of Jordan Henderson since the day he met him on the Sunderland training ground and is unsurprised to see the Liverpool midfielder grow to become such a force in the game.
While his professional attitude on the pitch has long won appraisal from pundits and fans, over recent weeks he has come into the public eye due to his efforts to raise money to support the NHS amid the coronavirus pandemic via the #PlayersTogether campaign.
In the UK, there have been over 100,000 confirmed cases of the virus, which have resulted in more than 15,000 deaths, and the outbreak has put a stop to football as well as everyday life as the public is in a state of lockdown.
Henderson has spearheaded football’s fundraising efforts and former boss Bruce spotted the 29-year-old’s leadership capabilities from the first time he met him.
“Jordan grabbed me from the day I walked in at Sunderland, with his personality and his attitude to work,” Bruce said to The Mirror.
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““It was pre-season and when we did the runs he would be at the front, then drop back and try and help somebody in the middle of the pack.
“Then by the time the run had finished he would be back around the front.
“You couldn’t help but be impressed by that.
“I think he’d admit he has never been blessed with real natural ability.
“But he’s turned himself into a wonderful athlete and one who has always had this leadership quality about him. He had this will and determination from the time I met him at the age of 18 — and the lads at the academy said the same.
“I don’t think after I put him into the team that he ever came out of it.”
The former Sunderland man has become a mainstay at Liverpool since signing for the club in 2011 and has gone on to make over 350 appearances for the Anfield side, scoring 28 goals and added 50 further assists.
He captained the Reds to the 2018-19 Champions League title and was on the brink of doing likewise in the Premier League before play was halted indefinitely.
