BBC presenter Gary Lineker says Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could win the PFA Player of the Year simply because of the drop-off in performances in the team since the midfielder picked up an injury.

The Reds have lost three of their last four games following the hamstring problem the 29-year-old sustained in the defeat to Atletico Madrid last month, and Lineker thinks the team is missing the Englishman’s influence massively:

There’s every chance that @JHenderson’s injury could well clinch him the Footballer of the Year trophy. Sometime’s you don’t realise a player’s importance to a side until they’re absent.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 3, 2020

Henderson’s statistics don’t really show the level of influence he has on the team. Unlike Kevin De Bruyne, whose goals and assists for Manchester City make for impressive reading, the Liverpool star is better known for his work rate and organisational skills. Without him in recent games, the Reds have looked a shadow of their former selves.

He is a true leader of the squad, and as Lineker points out, his importance is only noticed when he is absent from the starting line up.