Jordan Henderson has sent a heartfelt message to Andriy Yarmalenko ahead of Liverpool taking on West Ham at Anfield.
The Ukrainian forward was given compassionate leave by his club following Russia’s invasion of his country and the 32-year-old has since returned to training.
Speaking in his Friday press conference, West Ham boss David Moyes confirmed the former Dynamo Kviv star is not yet ready to return to the side and will miss the trip to Anfield.
However, writing his programme notes ahead of the press conference, the Reds skipper has sent a message of solidarity to Yarmolenko.
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““It’s definitely not for me to get involved in who David Moyes does or doesn’t pick but, like everyone in football, I would love to see Andriy Yarmolenko involved,” Henderson said .
“I’m well aware that Andriy was given compassionate leave by his club after the invasion of his homeland, Ukraine, started and he only returned to training at the start of this week.
“So it could be that this fixture comes too soon for him, but I would like nothing better than to see him back in action at Anfield.
“I’ve seen how well David Moyes has handled this particular situation and it hasn’t surprised me one bit because it’s been clear for many years that he is a top manager and a brilliant man-manager.
“If Andriy is involved I have no doubt that our crowd will show solidarity with him. If he’s not yet ready then, as club captain, I would like to use these notes to let him know that everyone at Liverpool stands with him.”
Yarmolenko’s home city of Chernihiv has been subjected to air strikes, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.
The West Ham forward has been vocal in his opposition to the war on social media and recently implored Russia’s national team players to do the same.
“I don’t think he’s quite ready and we want to give him every opportunity to do everything he can for his family and his country,” Moyes said, after stating that Yarmolenko would not be involved against Liverpool.
“I spoke with him for 20 minutes this morning about it, but it’s really difficult because nobody’s ever been in these circumstances before and I hope I’m never in it again.
“Coming into training sometimes makes things feel a little bit better for him, and we’re trying to give him a little bit of a release with that, but we’re also trying to do everything we possibly can for him and his family.”
