Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has revealed how he was brought to tears when ex-Reds boss Brendan Rodgers told him he was surplus to requirements in 2012.
The 31-year-old had spent just a single season at Anfield before being told he was free to leave after joining from Sunderland for a fee in the region of £16 million.
Liverpool agreed a fee with Fulham for Henderson, but the midfielder failed to agree personal terms as he wanted to stay and fight for his place on Merseyside.
Although Henderson was 'devastated' he has praised the impact Rodgers on his career which has seen him lift the Champions League and Premier League.
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"I can remember it like it was yesterday," Henderson said on BT Sport's Between the Lines.
"It was just before we played Hearts at Anfield. I had a conversation with Brendan [Rodgers] in the hotel the day of the game, and to be fair to Brendan, he gave me the option, it was more the club that was willing to let me go.
"Brendan said 'listen, it is down to you. You are not going to be starting as much as you would like but I will try to help you improve on what you need to improve on. You're still young and if you do that then maybe you'll get more game time'.
"I basically went back to my room, cried a little bit and was devastated, really. It wasn't really an option for me to leave because I hadn't been at the club very long and I had worked extremely hard to get there. I wasn't just going to leave."
Henderson has now gone on to make over 400 appearances for the Reds and became the first skipper for Liverpool to lift the Premier League title and the FIFA Club World Cup.
"I sort of said straightaway: 'I ain't going anywhere. I will do everything I can to get in the team and I will prove people wrong'", Henderson added.
"From that moment, everyday in the gym I'd give everything, everyday on the training pitch, I'd give everything.
"Brendan helped me a lot tactically. I was good at box-to-box, I was very physical, and decent technically, but the tactical elements I wasn't really taught that much.
"He showed me positioning, where he wanted us with and without the ball, and I felt that helped us understand football even more. From that moment on, I just grew in confidence as time went on."
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