Yahoo Sport 
Liverpool legend predicts his Champions League final hero
Steve McManaman has urged Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to grasp his shot at glory in Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kiev, as he believes it would be the ultimate riposte to his critics.
Henderson has often been the subject of ridicule during his seven-year spell as one of the key men in Liverpool’s midfield, yet he will join an exclusive list of Reds skippers who have lifted the biggest prize in European club football if he gets his hands on the Champions League trophy this weekend.
Ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid winger McManaman has told Yahoo Sport that the criticism Henderson has attracted during his time at Anfield has been unjustified, as he believes he provides Klopp’s team with a vital heartbeat.
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“He has had his detractors down the years and people moan about Henderson not being good enough to play for Liverpool or England, but he has driven this side and lifted this side through hard work and determination to a Champions League final and has done so well,” BT Sport pundit McManaman told us.
“The headlines around this Liverpool team may have been dominated by Mo Salah this season, but no team reaches the Champions League final with one man. They needed Sadio Mane, they needed James Milner and the certainly needed Jordan Henderson as well.
“He uses the ball well. He gives it quickly to the people who can do damage. He knows his role in this team and Klopp appreciates him. That is what it is all about in a winning team. You need several pieces of a jigsaw to fall into place and Henderson is a big part of that for Liverpool.
“Now he has this moment to create a moment of history that will ensure he will forever be viewed as one of the true legends of Liverpool Football Club. The images of Liverpool captains that have held that European Cup high into the sky are icons of this great club and Jordan has a chance to join them.
“He could finish Saturday night as only the sixth person to lift the most important trophy in club football as Liverpool skipper This is a club with long, proud traditions and Jordan could join a short list of true greats that includes Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson, Graeme Souness and, of course, Steven Gerrard.
Magical
“It doesn’t get much bigger than this for the Liverpool players and especially for Henderson, who will have the honour of lifting the trophy if the result goes the way I think it will.”
McManaman is backing Liverpool to emerge victorious against his former club in Kiev, as he believes Mohamed Salah’s magical debut season at Anfield will have the perfect finale.
“I don’t think anyone can believe he has been that good. We knew he would be a good option for Liverpool and I liked him when I saw him playing for Roma in the Champions League,” he added. “He looked exciting, he was quick, he had an eye for goal, but none of us believed he would do what he has done.
“He was at Chelsea a few years ago and it didn’t work out so a few people had doubts about whether he was cut out for the Premier League, but he has answered all the questions ten times over.
“What he has achieved in the nine, ten months he has been there has been nothing short of astonishing. To achieve what he has done in a new league is just incredible. He has astounded everyone and no-one expected the goals he has scored.”
Watch Real Madrid v Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Final on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD from 6pm on Saturday 26 th May. BT Sport is where the best go head-to-head , for more info visit www.BT.com/sport
