Former Chelsea and Marseille striker Tony Cascarino has questioned whether Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will be an automatic starter now the Reds have signed Thiago Alcantara.

Manager Jurgen Klopp has no less than eight central midfield players in his squad following the arrival of the Spaniard from Bayern Munich and Cascarino thinks Henderson will need to up his game when he returns from injury:

“Jordan Henderson might be the first man to be named Football of the Year and within weeks no longer be a first-choice starter for his club. Henderson is still a massive figure for Jurgen Klopp and will remain a big influence but Liverpool’s first-choice midfield this season could be Fabinho, who is so crucial to them, Thiago Alcantara and Gini Wijnaldum. Of course, Henderson will get games but he needs to take his game up a level to be a guaranteed starter.”

It’s a bit of a simplistic explanation from Cascarino. Henderson’s leadership qualities on the pitch are also a key reason why the Reds have won so many trophies in the past eighteen months, in addition to his footballing ability.

The 30-year-old’s flexibility also means he could play alongside Thiago and Fabinho if needs be, but it is important to point out that rotation will play a bigger role in Klopp’s thinking this season anyway.

The crammed fixture schedule means all eight midfielders will be utilised, at some point, both due to the sheer number of games, as well as the intensity of effort that Klopp requires from his players in the middle of the park.