Former Liverpool great Ronnie Whelan believes Jordan Henderson can become a star at the club

Jordan Henderson, Sunderland

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Former Liverpool star Ronnie Whelan believes that incoming signing Jordan Henderson has all the attributes needed to become a star at Anfield.

Henderson is expected to complete a £20 million move from Sunderland to Merseyside in the next 24 hours and is also set to play a crucial role in England Under-21s European Championship campaign over the next month.

Whelan told the Liverpool Echo: “He looks a very good player, and he is talked about as being one of England’s best young talents, so it appears to be a good signing by Liverpool.

“He seems to have all the attributes needed to be a good central midfield player. He has good stamina and energy, he passes the ball well and his control is good.

“He looks an all-round player, and will add plenty to Kenny’s squad.

“The key now for a young player like Jordan is how he handles the step up to a big club. Liverpool is not like Sunderland, they are expected to win every week, and so it remains to be seen how he handles the pressures that come with that.”

The youngster is expected to battle it out for a place in the centre of the Reds’ midfield alongside Raul Merieles, Lucas Leiva, Jay Spearing and captain Steven Gerrard, something that Whelan thinks proves Kenny Dalglish’s side will have a great strength in depth next season.

He added: “Kenny hasn’t signed him to play on the right,” he said. “He will be looking to play him in his best position, which is central midfield.

“It is a squad game now, and you need depth and quality. Players like Lucas and young Jay Spearing have done really well last season, but if you are looking for players to take you to the next level then you need better, and Jordan is better, in my opinion.”

Whelan also believes that the fee paid for Henderson is not excessive and thinks Liverpool should be willing to pay whatever the cost to improve the team as they did in January with the signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

“The price doesn’t matter,” he added. “The same applied with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in January, but the fact is that you have to pay the going rate for top players.

“Liverpool did that with Andy Carroll, they did it with Luis Suarez, and they are now doing it with Jordan Henderson. People may say it’s an inflated price, but if you want to improve your squad, and you can afford to do so, then you pay the price.”