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Some football players are judged by their deeds. Others are judged by their price tags. Jordan Henderson is gradually shifting the weight of evaluation from what Liverpool paid for him at age 20 (allegedly near £20M), to what he does on the football pitch.

And make no mistake, what he has done so far this season has been glorious. With 26 appearances in 26 league games, he’s the only player aside from Simon Mignolet to start in every Liverpool league match.

At age 23, he is already one of Liverpool’s most important players, and someone Brendan Rodgers relies on to accomplish a number of tasks based on specific tactical needs.

One of the things that has impressed me this year is his versatility. Early in the season, when Liverpool needed more attacking impetus, Henderson was a primary source of assists and final third interplay.

With the development of Raheem Sterling and issues with midfield injuries, Henderson has recently added solidity to the central midfield by playing a deeper role.

But was he always this way? Let’s look at the Opta data to find out.

The Sunderland Years

(Image: Opta)

At age 19, Henderson played a total of 24 full matches for Sunderland in the 09-10 Premier League season, and as you can see from the radar, he played almost exclusively in a defensive role. Tackles and interceptions are actually quite good for a young DM, but 68% passing is… ugh.

However, the next season under Steve Bruce, this changed dramatically, and Henderson showed himself as the complete package that attracted Liverpool’s attention.

2.29 key passes per 90 is an excellent number, and passing success was up to 81%, while interceptions and tackles remained relatively high at around 1.75 each.

Off to Liverpool:

(Image: Opta)

This is Henderson’s first season at Liverpool. His performances were often dismissed because of the slightly garish price paid for him, but this was actually pretty good for a 21-year-old playing in the big leagues.

It was a slight dip on the offensive end from what he produced in his last season at Sunderland – only 1.08 key passes per 90 and a smattering of goals and assists - but this was also when Liverpool were absolutely cross crazy, and Henderson’s strengths don’t lie in that area.

The next year under Brendan Rodgers went much better, with tackles and interceptions remaining high, and key passes up near two. Additionally, Henderson produced a goal or an assist every other game, which is an excellent figure for a central midfielder.

That brings us to this season:

(Image: Opta)

Interceptions are down a touch, but that is likely the result of playing a more forward role in the earlier part of the season, and tackles are at their highest level in a Liverpool shirt.

Six assists is a strong tally, but what Henderson has been doing during Liverpool’s march up the table has essentially been enabling everyone else on the team to be great. He’s like the hybrid efficiency engine in the center of Liverpool’s McLaren P1.

He doesn’t dribble that often, but he also rarely commits fouls or gets dispossessed. He is an excellent ball winner, and as soon as he does that, he immediately puts the ball back into the attack, so that one of Sterling, Suarez, Sterling or Coutinho can hit the turbo, and fly past opposing defenders.

This type of work is too often unsung, but it is an extremely important and valuable quality to have for a team that is trying to qualify for the Champions League. Without Hendo manning this role, Liverpool would likely not be odds-on for a 4th place finish this season.

One more Henderson chart before we change players, this time looking at his production compared to likely World Cup teammate, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere.

Henderson vs Wilshere:

(Image: Opta)

Both players are near the same age, and often draw comparisons from playing the same position, but there’s a difference in role between the two teams, and Wilshere rarely plays as deep as Henderson has been recently.

Raheem Sterling:

(Image: Opta)

Speaking of potential England World Cup players, I would definitely have this kid on the flight. Even without Theo Walcott’s injury, Sterling would be my second choice for a right-sided attacker in either a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, because he and Daniel Sturridge are two of the few English players that can absolutely terrify defences right now with both blistering pace and quality technique.

The thing about Sterling that you must keep in mind is that he’s only 19. This sort of production at the top level for players his age is truly outstanding, and it’s also likely to improve as he gets older.

He’s already an outstanding dribbler, and he’s much better at not running in to dead ends than he was last season. Additionally, Opta data shows that his key passing numbers look good and he does a lot of work defensively for a player who is primarily an attacker.

His end product is also far better than what Andros Townsend has produced in his two seasons at the Premier League level. Sterling isn’t much of a crosser, but unless Andy Carroll is in the side, England’s attack isn’t really built for that type of game either.

Whether Hodgson plans to start him or use him as an impact sub, Sterling definitely deserves to be part of the action.