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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, former Reds player Fabio Aurelio has stated that Liverpool are now bigger than they were during his spell at the club, and highlighted one player who has stood out for him.

What did he say?

Jordan Henderson produced an industrious performance once again against Arsenal last weekend with five tackles and after captaining his team to European glory last season, Aurelio believes he has more than proved himself at Anfield.

He said: “I remember when he came, it was kind of to support [Steven] Gerrard and replace him in the future. He has done the job and completed what everyone expected from him. He has more to do, I’m sure of that.”

Henderson is now 29 but still appears as fit and hungry as ever for success. The former left-back suggests he still has more to achieve which only really means one thing after last year’s success: the Premier League title.

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Can he outshine Gerrard?

It is quite an achievement for Henderson to live up to the legacy left behind by Gerrard, but he has taken on the responsibility of being the captain, and is now a well-respected leader who the Liverpool players look up to.

The Arsenal game was his 100th appearance as Liverpool captain, and during that time he has grown not only as a player but as a person, as evidenced by his annual support of underprivileged families at Christmas, and he could leave behind a legacy similar to that of the man he replaced.

Compared to Gerrard he lacks the panache and the ability to win games on his own, but his consistency and model professionalism creates a standard for every other Liverpool player to look up to, and he ensures Jurgen Klopp’s demands are carried out – as any good captain should do.

Liverpool have significantly improved since Gerrard’s departure, finding themselves back at the top of European football and becoming genuine challenges for the Premier League title, which says a lot about the impact Henderson has made, and suggests that Aurelio is correct in his assessment that the former Sunderland man has fulfilled his purpose.

Moreover, if he goes on to lift the Premier League trophy with the Reds – something which Gerrard famously failed to achieve – then he would cement his place in Liverpool folklore and could even be remembered in similar terms as his predecessor, albeit for much different reasons.

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