Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to Jordan Henderson’s legacy as a Liverpool player after the midfielder completed a move to Al-Ettifaq.
The Saudi Pro League confirmed his arrival on Thursday, a day after the 33-year-old posted an emotional goodbye to Reds supporters.
Henderson joined the Anfield giants in 2011 and replaced Steven Gerrard, his new manager in the Gulf state, as club captain four years later.
Transfer news LIVE! Follow the latest Liverpool gossip and rumours!
During his time with the armband, the former Sunderland midfielder lifted the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in at trophy-laden spell under Klopp.
The England international has signed a three-year contract on a reported wage of £700k-per-week and has been criticised for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia – where same-sex relationships are illegal – given his previous public support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Reflecting on Henderson’s time at Liverpool, Klopp told the club’s official website: “It is football, it is life, it is normal, these kind of things happen.
“Monday when we arrived back in Liverpool, Hendo was waiting for us to say goodbye properly to the team and to the coaching staff as well, so that was a really nice gesture – a really nice thing to do.
“I know it was a really, really tough decision for Hendo and I was around or with him all the way.
“It’s sad, absolutely strange, because he is the only captain I had here at Liverpool, but I think it is exciting for him as well.
“We will miss him, without a shadow of a doubt, that’s clear – as a man and as a player. But, as I said, that’s football.”
