In few months’ time from now, Liverpool will bid farewell to their skipper Steven Gerrard who is set to join MLS at the end of the season.
Not only Liverpool need to find a suitable replacement (if not like-for-like) but the club need to pick someone who is capable of leading the side as good as him.
Gerrard is a born leader. An inspirational captain, who loves to lead from the front, by setting example for others to follow.
For a player who has spent all his career at Merseyside, it is really hard to think of a life without him, as the 34-year-old is still the heart-beat of the side and capable of conjuring moments of genius even at this age.
His departure will leave a gaping hole in terms of identity, for here is a player, who has been a flag-bearer of the club’s heritage and culture, and experience. Here are five who probably are best suited to replace him for the captaincy role:
Jordan Henderson
The onus of responsibility should go into the hands of Henderson, the present vice-captain of the team, who has grown into a senior figure and an important member of this team.
After an early struggle at the club, following his £16m move from Sunderland in 2011, Henderson had to fight hard to establish as a regular member.
Representing Liverpool means a lot to him and although he is yet to reach the peak of his career, the England international holds strong respect in the dressing room.
“I certainly believe Jordan has everything you need to be a great captain,” Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo.
“He’s a fantastic professional who tries to lead by example in every training session and in every game.
“He has really grown as a player and is improving all the time with experience.
“He can become a great captain for this club. He’s a fantastic player for me to hand the armband over to.
“I’ve got great respect for Jordan Henderson and I know everyone else at the club feels the same.”
Mamadou Sakho
The Frenchman came to Liverpool with lots of promise and a burning desire to succeed.
After a rocky start to the new campaign, when at one point it seemed like his relationship with manager Brendan Rodgers turned sour, Sakho had let his boots do the talking for himself.
In Rodgers’ 3-man defensive system, Sakho, who has led PSG before and a regular for France national team, has become an integral member and has played/is playing a pivotal role in Liverpool’s gradual renaissance.
Emre Can
The young German midfielder has shown great maturity in adapting to his new role at the club and has the potential to become the Liverpool skipper in future.
Can primarily bought from Bayern Leverkusen as a midfielder has seen his stock rise coming into the team as a centre-back, following his one-after-another top performances in recent months.
His versatility is well-documented and while the club sees him as midfielder in future, the Reds assistant boss Colin Pascoe revealed that the youngster is willing to play anywhere.
Pascoe hailed his leadership qualities and when asked whether he could become Liverpool captain in future, he said:
“He’s young, he’s learning his game, in years to come he’ll progress and be one of them.
“He’s a leader, he’s a leader on the pitch, he’s been fantastic – but at the moment, he’s not looking at that himself, but he’s a great lad.”
Martin Skrtel
Skrtel is one of the senior players in the team alongside Gerrard and Lucas. The Slovakian has been in good form throughout but will he continue to remain as first choice at the club should Liverpool sign one or two central defenders next summer, remains to be seen.
Rodgers primarily signed Dejan Lovren because of his leadership qualities at the back, but the former Southampton defender has turned out to be a massive flop and may need to prove his worth to the team and the fans before being given added responsibilities.
The Reds manager should be impressed with how Skrtel has marshalled the defence in the last few months.
Daniel Sturridge / Lucas Leiva?
Lucas like Skrtel is an experienced player and a senior member in the side who was signed by ex-manager Rafael Benitez.
The Brazilian was in fine form for Liverpool in recent months before he got injured, but his future has been a subject of wide speculation in the media and it remains to be seen whether he at all stays at the club beyond the season.
Sturridge on the other hand has emerged into a new kop idol but is he good enough to lead the side?
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