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Jordan Henderson has urged Liverpool to sort out a new contract for Jon Flanagan as the captain insisted: "He's a huge player for us."

The popular full-back's current deal expires this summer and the club have yet to open talks over an extension.

Academy graduate Flanagan has worked tirelessly to relaunch his Liverpool career - returning to action in January after 18 months out with a knee injury.

The 23-year-old defender has proved his fitness and Henderson says it's crucial that Liverpool retain the services of the England international, who was an unused substitute in Sunday's Capital One Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

"It's huge that it gets sorted out", Henderson said.

"I don't think players and people like Flanno grow on trees to be honest.

"You have people like him and Stevie and Carra who have come through the Academy. The fans feel as though they are one of them really which they are.

"His whole family supports Liverpool. He has been a Liverpool supporter since he was a kid and he has had a difficult time for the last two years, but what I have seen him do behind the scenes is incredible really.

"He is a huge player for us, a huge player for the club and the fans as well. It is in everyone's interests for that to be sorted out soon."

(Image: 2016 Getty Images)

Henderson, who endured a prolonged spell on the sidelines himself due to a heel injury earlier this season, has huge respect for the manner in which Flanagan has fought back after two knee operations.

"I've seen how hard he has been working and the attitude he has had with the injury", Henderson added,

"I was only out for three or four months but that felt long for me and it was difficult for me to handle because I had never experienced that length of time out.

"But for the injury he had and how long he was out, it was incredible the way he went about it.

"Every day in here he came in with a smile on his face, did his work and for me you need to be rewarding people like that for what he done.

"Now he's back and the games he has played it is as if he has never been away. He has been brilliant and in training he's exactly the same."

Sakho monitored for suspected concussion

Flanagan is in contention to start Wednesday night's Premier League clash with Man City at Anfield.

Boss Jurgen Klopp is expected to make a number of changes in the wake of Sunday's energy-sapping Wembley final.

Mamadou Sakho, who is unlikely to feature, will be monitored closely by medical staff after going off with a suspected concussion.

Henderson has urged his team-mates to quickly put the heartache behind them like they did after losing the 2012 FA Cup final to Chelsea.

Three days later Liverpool hammered the Londoners 4-1 in the league and the Reds skipper says Klopp's men must respond in a similar manner against City.

"You have to take the positives out of the game. I know it's difficult but you have to learn from the experience," Henderson said.

"We certainly learned from the last time we went to Wembley. We've improved.

"It's a similar situation to when we were beaten by Chelsea in the cup final and beat them 4-1 the next week. Something similar would be nice but it wouldn't make up for the disappointment of the final.

"There's still things to play for, especially the league - finishing as high up the table as possible - and the Europa League. We have to pick ourselves up and focus on what we have to do between now and the end of the season.

"We have a great bunch of lads, great characters in the dressing room, and I think you saw that on the pitch - there was a lot of personality. I'm sure there will be no problem in moving forwards, trying to finish off the season as best we can."

Henderson revealed he was down to take the sixth penalty in the Wembley shootout.

However, it didn't get that far as Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana were all denied by Willy Caballero after Emre Can had scored.

"Milly (James Milner) was down to take the fifth one and then it was me on the list, he said. That was down to the manager and the coaching team.

"It's not nice to see someone else lift the trophy. It felt as though we did enough to win but that's football - sometimes it is cruel.

"At 1-1 I felt that the momentum was with us. We were winning the ball back in crucial areas and we were getting the ball up the field quickly, causing them problems. But it wasn't our day.

"It's hard but I don't think we could have given any more. We said before the game we needed we leave everything out there, and we certainly did that.

"We've just got to do that from now until the end of the season. If we do that then there will be some success for us. I'm confident we will learn from this, move forward and hopefully in the future be in a lot more finals."