The last time Jordan Henderson played in the Premier League, he set up a goal. Not a Liverpool goal, admittedly. His stray pass went to Adam Armstrong in a frenetic 4-4 draw between an already-relegated Southampton side and a Liverpool team who had failed to finish in the top four.
Liverpool knew then it was a farewell: to Roberto Firmino, who scored on his final appearance; to James Milner, the long-serving vice-captain who was out of contract. Just not to Henderson, whose departure has come to look like Liverpool opportunistically offloading him. The consensus since then is that a misplaced pass was far from the worst option Henderson took in the summer of 2023, that he lost his way in a rather more damning effect than simply picking out a Southampton player.
