Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson recalls 'intense' Roy Keane Sunderland story

Jordan Henderson has been in some high-pressure situations for Liverpool and England, but a Sunderland encounter with Roy Keane had him 'dripping with sweat.'

Jordan Henderson has shared the story of when he convinced Roy Keane he was ready for a Sunderland breakthrough.

Henderson has captained Liverpool to both a Premier League title and Champions League success, but it all started for him at his boyhood club Sunderland.

Just as he was making his way through the ranks at the club, Roy Keane was the manager - and everyone knows how notoriously difficult he is to please.

Henderson managed to do just that, though. The story has been told from Keane’s side a couple of times, but Henderson has not given his version of events too.

“We had a game, it was a friendly, Sunderland Under-21s or Under-23s away at Gateshead, about half-an-hour or so from Sunderland,” Henderson told the High Performance podcast.

“Wasn’t great at all, didn’t play very well as a team, I don’t even think Roy went to the game, I think it was his staff that went – really bad day let’s put it that way.

“Anyway, we’re getting the coach back and our coaches have said to us that everybody has to go to the training ground when we get there because the gaffer is getting there, Roy, to see you. Everyone’s face was white, I must’ve been 18.

“We all go in, we’re waiting in this room, Roy comes in – we’re scattered around the room – he starts off with something along the lines of ‘this f******* sums you lot up, f****** here, there, get together.’

“So we scurry together, in half a semi-circle and he’s at the front.

“He literally goes round everybody, I think somebody had just signed and said: ‘we’ve just paid whatever for you… who the f**** do you think you are’ blah, blah, blah, going around talking about the game, not good enough. He went around, it was heated.

“I’m just stood there thinking if he comes to me… I was just dripping with sweat.

“Anyway, he gets to me and says: ‘do you think you can play for the first team?’ and my response, I don’t know how or why, was: ‘yeah’.

“And he went: ‘Good because the staff said you were the only one running around,’ or something along them lines and then he moves on and I’m like [deep breaths].

“It was intense, I suppose in that moment, my self-belief was ‘yeah I do [believe].”

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