Major Surprise? Liverpool Legend claims 'outstanding' £120k-a-week star may replace Jordan Henderson as permanent LFC captain

With Steven Gerrard now sadly gone, Liverpool need a new captain, and all indications suggest that Jordan Henderson is next in line for the coveted role. My personal choice is Martin Skrtel, but Reds legend Jamie Carragher argues that Brendan Rodgers may ultimately ignore both players and make a surprise choice instead.

Discussing the captaincy situation this week, Carragher hinted that Hendo is on thin ice with regards to the captaincy, and predicted that Rodgers may hand the honour to James Friggin' Milner:

"Rodgers wouldn't confirm Henderson as this season's captain even though he was captain in Gerrard's absence, [which] makes me think him and Milner could be competing for the armband. Was that another thing that enticed Milner to join?"

The allegedly 'outstanding' Milner as Liverpool captain? Based on what? Making Milner captain over Henderson, Skrtel is a man-management mistake of the highest order, for the following reasons:

* The decision will almost certainly alienate Henderson, Skrtel, and (possibly) other members of the squad. They'll take the decision professionally, but they're also human beings, and giagantic snub like that will sting.

* A player should earn the right to captain Liverpool, not just turn up and take the honour as a reward for joining the club.

* Through their performances, character, and consistency, Henderson and Skrtel have earned the honour of captaining Liverpool. Milner - who reportedly wants £120k-a-week to sign for Liverpool - has not.

* There's little logic in placing extra unnecessary pressure on Milner. If he signs, his main focus should be playing well, and improving on his poor career creative return of 1 goal every 11 games.

* If he proves himself over an entire season, and shows leadership quality when the going gets tough, then it'll be time to think about promoting him to captain.

To be brutally honest, though, neither Skrtel nor Henderson distinguished themselves on a leadership level in the final third of the season. Indeed, Liverpool's capitulation against the likes of Crystal Palace and Stoke City underlined once again the fatal lack of leadership in the team.

In a recent column for the Liverpool Echo, Reds legend Mark Lawrenson argued that Skrtel should be LFC's next captain:

"Skrtel plays almost every game, could handle the responsibility and it would help him communicate more. He is a battler, too, and has more leadership qualities (than Henderson]. He got stood on the head by Giroud [vs. Arsenal] but he stayed on to head home a late equaliser".

I recently conducted a poll asking fans who should be Liverpool's next captain:

* 55% of participants voted for Skrtel. Only 28% chose Henderson.

* 10% chose Lucas; 7% Lallana; 1% Lovren.

This suggests that there's a slight disconnect between the fans and Rodgers on this particular issue. For me, Skrtel still remains the outstanding candidate:

* After Gerrard, 'warrior' Skrtel is one of the most senior players in the squad; he's paid his dues, and after six years at the club, he's arguably earned the right to lead the team.



* After being dumped for Jamie Carragher last season, Skrtel showed real strength of character and admirable attitude to fight his way back to being Liverpool's number-one centre-half. In that time, the Reds have spent £45m on three different central defenders, yet Skrtel remains the one constant in the heart of defence.

* Skrtel is the perfect bridging option. After Gerrard leaves, there will be immense pressure on the next captain to live up to the skipper's influence. That's even more likely to the case with Hendo as he is a midfielder, and therefore directly comparable to Gerrard.

* Skrtel is a defender, so there will (arguably) be less pressure on him. Plus, at the age of 30, he probably only has a couple of years left at LFC, so it makes sense to give him the job, and allow Henderson to work at increasing influence on the field.

* Once he's achieved that, Henderson will - through the consistent level of his performances - command more respect from players and fans alike, and that will help his transition into the role of captain.

* Additionally, Henderson will have the advantage of taking over from Skrtel, and not Gerrard.

* The same applies to Milner: if he takes the captaincy, and plays (as expected) in a central midfield role, he'll be constantly compared to Gerrard, and that will be detrimental, especially since he's nowhere near that class level.

Forget Milner as captain (and as a signing, but that probably won't happen!), and just give the captaincy to Skrtel, whom I believe will rise to the challenge.

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Author: Jaimie K