Paul Scholes has questioned Jurgen Klopp's decision not to start Jordan Henderson in recent Premier League games - insisting the Liverpool captain elevates the performances of those around him
Henderson was named on the substitutes' bench for Saturday's 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in a game where Liverpool lacked cohesion and discipline in the middle of the park.
A second half strike from former Reds forward Taiwo Awoniyi was enough to secure a historic victory at the City Ground for Steve Cooper's side and ensure Liverpool's quest for a Premier League victory away to the East Midlands outfit continues.
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The Liverpool captain was introduced alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold after 62 minutes as Klopp tried - and failed - to wrestle the contest back in the favour of his side. However, despite the Reds looking more settled upon Henderson's introduction, it was too little too late for Liverpool as they were unable to break down the hosts' low block.
Speaking on MatchDay Extra, Scholes said: “He has Jordan Henderson on the bench, he should be playing. He is the leader of the team. He’s the captain and the one, the Casemiro type of role, and he gets everyone ticking around.
“He seems to have fallen out with him or carrying an injury. There is something not quite right there.”
In addition to not starting on Saturday afternoon's lunchtime kick-off, Henderson was also overlooked for the Reds' scalp over Manchester City at Anfield last weekend, with his manager opting for Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho behind a forward quartet of Mohamed Salah, Harvey Elliott, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota. However, he was introduced with 17 minutes remaining.
The absence of the 32-year-old from the starting XI was made all the stranger once Klopp confirmed that Thiago Alcantara had suffered an ear infection in the early hours of the morning and therefore was deemed unfit to travel, which led to the Liverpool manager handing Curtis Jones his first competitive start since May's 2-1 victory over Southampton.
Even without starting a Premier League game for over five months, Jones' inclusion was made all the more peculiar given that Fabio Carvalho (20) and Harvey Elliott (19) were also in the starting line-up. It meant that, while the trio worked tirelessly, there was an evident lack of leadership and control at times as Cheikhou Kouyate seized the opportunity to conquer.
But because of how threadbare Klopp's options have been in midfield at times this season, and with Forest sitting bottom of the table prior to kick-off, the Liverpool manager perhaps felt as if - ahead of Wednesday's Champions League fixture against Ajax - it was an opportunity to continue to rotate his squad and preserve Henderson's legs for the upcoming trip to Amsterdam.
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