Time to bring Henderson home

They say never go back but, when it comes to Jordan Henderson and Sunderland, what do 'they' know?

Eleven years ago, Jordan Henderson left Sunderland for Liverpool, setting forth a series of events that played out like a combination of Sliding Doors and Stranger Things. 

After a halting start, Henderson's career blossomed on Merseyside. It has been a decade-long journey that saw the midfielder become vice captain, then captain, champion of England, Europe and, eventually, the world. 

Sunderland, meanwhile, circled the Premier League plughole before descending into our own personal Upside Down filled with misery, despair and Gareth Ainsworth. The same season in which Henderson won the Champions League final saw us contrive to lose two finals - finals that we were embarrassed to find ourselves in. 

It's a turn of events that seemed scarcely plausible at the time. Henderson was likeable but limited, and we were a team on the up. His £20m move to Anfield was seen by many to be an amazing move for the player, shrewd business by our club and yet another slightly bewildering decision by an increasingly bewildered Kenny Dalglish.

It's a signing that, of course, turned out to be one of the biggest bargains in Premier League history. Because what Dalglish could see is Henderson had what Liverpool lacked - a winner's mentality. Though not a player overburdened by world class talent, there are few can come close to his leadership, desire and application. Little wonder, then, Henderson became Jurgen Klopp's representative on the pitch, leading his team of 'mentality monsters' to years of triumph over domestic and European rivals backed by bigger budgets. 

But even though they took the boy out of Sunderland, they never quite took Sunderland out of the boy. Henderson continued being a Sunderland supporter when he stopped being a Sunderland player, cheering on the lads through our darkest times on the terraces and in the press. 

In a recent interview with the Sunderland Echo, Henderson gave his positive assessment of Sunderland's start to life back in the Championship, acknowledging how a resurgent team is a "great thing for the club and also the city". In the same interview, he somewhat-cryptically added that "playing at a full Stadium of Light is an amazing experience and I hope to play there again one day".

Is it delusional to think that 'one day' might mean back in the red and white? 

Henderson is 32 now, which means he's perhaps nearing the end of his time at the sharp end of elite football. But there are promising examples of players who returned home for their playing career's final act, trading the intensity of title races for the opportunity to cement local legend status. 

Carlos Tevez was still banging them in for his boyhood Boca Juniors aged 37, and he joins a list of legends that include Gianluigi Buffon (Parma), Wayne Rooney (Everton) and Fernando Torres (Atlético Madrid).

It's very likely that Henderson has a future with Liverpool's coaching set up, if he wants it. And while we can't compete with that on a rational level, maybe we could on an emotional one. Bookending his playing career with the club he supports would make for a beautiful finale, and there are worse places for him to transfer his world class leadership skills from the pitch to the dugout. 

And maybe beyond the dugout too. Henderson understands the symbiotic relationship between club and community, and his leadership during the Super League controversy proved him to be a man who's not afraid to stand up and speak out. God knows this club needs a bit of that. Henderson has what it takes to help redefine what this club is, not just how the team plays. He could be an incredible catalyst for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' ambition, giving it some much-needed shape and drive. He could be for Sunderland what Bill Shankly was for Liverpool. Our Arsène. Our Cloughie. Our Sir Alex.

Jordan Henderson conquered the world while remaining one of us. So isn't it time we brought him home?