Jordan Henderson is a Liverpool legend.
I have to preface this article by stating that clearly and concisely.
He's been at the Merseyside club for 12 years and has won everything… as captain.
He's been here for the really good times and the really bad times so he's certainly been a part of the culture shift.
But as many of us know, good times come to an end.
And that end is near for Jordan Henderson, it's a just question of when?
His time has come to leave
If we're being honest, Henderson's play has been on a downward spiral since 2020.
After winning the FWA Footballer of the Year in the 2019/20 season, he hasn't been the same.
No longer blessed with the athleticism that defined his early years at the club and playing alongside the likes of Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara further demonstrates the gulf in quality between the midfielders.
Turning 33 in June, it's only a matter of time before Liverpool replace him as the midfield situation calls for drastic measures to be taken.
A clear-out of the middle of the park is needed with Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and James Milner having to make way for new arrivals.
The attack of Liverpool has undergone mass overhaul while the defence remains one of the best in Europe but the midfield has been left to rot over the last four years.
Keep him as a rotation player
Are there players in the Liverpool midfield that are of a higher priority to remove? Yes.
Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain are expected to leave on free transfers with the latter struggling to even make match-day squads.
Henderson is still the captain and highly respected among his teammates.
He's certainly capable of playing a role like James Milner, where they remain the leaders of the pack and instrumental behind the scenes but are reduced to a smaller role out on the pitch in place of players who are able to contribute more.
It's unknown whether Henderson would agree to take on a role like that or if Jürgen Klopp would even want him to, given his unwavering loyalty to certain players.
It's a question that must be answered this summer, as Liverpool must decide whether they are better on the pitch without Jordan Henderson.