5 longest serving players in the current Liverpool squad

Liverpool has been home to some players who became legends over the Premier League years. Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Luis Suarez amongst others would all be contenders for an all-time great Premier League team.

Like all modern-day clubs though, it’s becoming harder and harder to become a true Anfield legend as the tenure of players becomes shorter and playing turnover increases with each transfer window.

The summer of 2017 saw Liverpool sell Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva to Lazio, and with him, the final vestiges of the Rafael Benitez era at the club were finally gone too. Liverpool have seen four permanent managers since Benitez departed in 2010 – Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers and now Jurgen Klopp – but plenty more players along the way.

Who can guess how long new signings like Mo Salah or Dominic Solanke might stick around for? If they’re lucky, it might be for as long as these five players.

This is a list of Liverpool’s five longest-tenured players - going from the point in which they made their debut, rather than when they signed for the club, to avoid any confusion with youth players who may have been there since they were children.

#5: Simon Mignolet – debuted August 13th, 2013

The fact that Mignolet has only been at Anfield for just over four years shows how quick player turnover happens these days, but in a lot of respects it’s even more glaring for the Belgian keeper, as there are numerous Reds fans out there who would probably argue he should’ve been removed from between the sticks by now.

Mignolet’s debut season was fantastic, though – the Belgian was signed from Sunderland to replace the outgoing Pepe Reina, and saved a penalty on his debut, a 1-0 victory over Stoke City. Liverpool finished second that season, and Mignolet was an ever-present, starting all 38 of the Reds’ league games.

In fact, he went on a run of 53 consecutive Premier League starts before Brendan Rodgers dropped him in favour of Brad Jones in December 2014.

Mignolet was soon back in favour though due to an injury to Jones, and his resurgence led to him signing a new five-year deal with the club in January 2016. 2016/17 saw more tribulations for him – this time he was dropped in favour of Loris Karius, but since he has again has regained his place due to some costly errors by the German goalie.

Whether Mignolet can finally retain his spot now is unknown as his form still remains spotty in a world where keepers are under ever more pressure, but for now, he’s clearly going to manage five seasons in a Liverpool shirt.

#4: Philippe Coutinho – debuted February 11th, 2013

Philippe Coutinho remains a Liverpool player despite interest from Barcelona

Oh, this one could’ve been so different had Barcelona had their way in the summer. If that move had come off – Barca were supposedly willing to pay upwards of £100m for the Brazilian – then Liverpool would’ve made one of the biggest profits in football history for a player not brought through youth ranks, as they only paid an incredible £8.5m to bring him to the Premier League from Inter Milan. Crazy when you consider some of the fees being thrown around even back in 2013.

Coutinho has been nothing short of brilliant ever since arriving at Liverpool. He’s given them the classy touch in midfield that the side had missed ever since losing Xabi Alonso in 2009, and his style – heavy on dribbling, accurate passing, vision and long-range shooting has earned him the nickname The Little Magician from the Kop faithful. When Steven Gerrard departed the club, Coutinho became the focal point of the side and he hasn’t looked back, showing his class by becoming the highest Brazilian goalscorer in Premier League history.

How much longer Liverpool can hold onto him is anyone’s guess. Coutinho is contracted to the club – with no release clause – until 2022, and they certainly don’t need the money, but when Barcelona want someone they tend to get them and there can be no doubt they’ll come knocking again in the next couple of transfer windows. For now though, he claims he’s “ready to give his all” for Liverpool, and with his history who would doubt him?

#3: Daniel Sturridge – debuted January 6th, 2013

Daniel Sturridge is looking for a resurgence in his Liverpool career

Sturridge arrived in the same transfer window as Coutinho and for a time, it looked like he might prove to be the more important signing. In his first half-season he managed to score a remarkable 10 Premier League goals in 14 appearances, and when his partnership with Luis Suarez really clicked in 2013/14, he hit 21 goals in 29 games and almost helped Liverpool to win a first Premier League title. Unfortunately for the striker, though, since then it’s been largely downhill.

Various injuries have restricted Sturridge to only 46 league appearances combined over 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17, and even when he’s been fit he’s never seemed to be a favourite of Jurgen Klopp, who seems to prefer the fast pace of the likes of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to lead Liverpool’s line. He’s also been pushed to the sidelines with his country too due to the emergence of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy.

Most people in the know tend to agree one thing about Sturridge, though – when fit, he’s one of the most deadly strikers in the Premier League if not in the whole of Europe. Give him a chance and the ball will usually find its way into the net. And he remains at Liverpool – his sixth season there, despite rumours that he would be sold in the last transfer window.

With Firmino currently out of form, the word going around at the minute is that Sturridge might be back into Liverpool’s starting line-up for this weekend’s game against Newcastle. Given that he loves playing the Magpies – five goals in five games against them for the Reds – could Sturridge see a resurgence in his Anfield career?

#2: Jordan Henderson – debuted August 13th, 2011

Jordan Henderson has become a key man for Liverpool

Although he’s sometimes decried as a poor man’s Steven Gerrard, current Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been a key player for the Reds now for a pretty impressive seven seasons. Signed from Sunderland for a hefty £16m by Kenny Dalglish, he actually debuted against his previous club to little fanfare, really. It took ‘Hendo’ so long to settle in, in fact, that he was almost sold to Fulham by Brendan Rodgers in August 2012.

Since then, though, he’s come into his own, particularly after Gerrard departed Anfield at the end of 2014/15. A highly versatile midfielder who’s capable of playing as an anchor man, a box-to-box marauder ala Gerrard and even on the right side of midfield, sometimes it’s actually tricky to understand exactly what positives Henderson brings to a side. But keep a closer eye on him and it’s easy to see.

He brings a never-ending gas tank, constantly chasing and harrying for the ball and then driving forward with it, and his touch, technique, control and passing are all largely underrated.

The fact that he’s practically an ever-present in Liverpool’s midfield when he’s fit tells most of the story. Four of his six full seasons have seen him appear in more than 30 Premier League games, and realistically only injuries have kept him from doing that in all six. Quite simply, Liverpool – and England – are a better team when Henderson plays. It’s no wonder he’s been at Anfield for so long really.

#1: Jon Flanagan – debuted April 11th, 2011

Jon Flanagan has been Liverpool's forgotten man for years

Full-back Flanagan – able to play on both the right and left hand sides of a defense – might be a largely forgotten man at Liverpool these days, particularly after spending 2016/17 on loan at Burnley (where he only played 6 league games anyway!), but he’s been around the longest, having made his debut as an 18-year old against Manchester City way back in the 2010/11 season – practically the Stone Age in football terms.

Flanagan – a product of Liverpool’s famed youth system – has never really established himself as a first-team player at Anfield. Of the six seasons he’s spent there since his debut – discounting the Burnley one – he’s only reached double figures in terms of league appearances once – in 2013/14 when the side almost won the league. Twice he hasn’t appeared in any league games, and 2014/15 he spent the whole season injured. But still, he remains a Liverpool player.

Just last week, in fact, he was handed a start by Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup tie against Leicester City. Many Liverpool fans were seen tweeting in surprise that the player was still at the club – some even sarcastically being surprised that he still existed. But it was telling that for most of them, it was only a good thing that the “Scouse Cafu” had made a return. Once hailed as having the potential to be one of the best full-backs in the world, could Flanagan actually establish himself at Liverpool in 2017/18? Only time will tell.