EPL midfielder Henderson hits back at Ballack's comments on Van Dijk

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EPL midfielder Jordan Henderson has subtly responded to the 'fake' quote by former Chelsea player Michael Ballack on Instagram. This came after this controversial quote about Virgil van Dijk against the best in the EPL era did the rounds over the weekend:

"Virgil van Dijk is very lucky to play in an era where there is no [Didier] Drogba, [Frank] Lampard, Alan Shearer, [Thierry] Henry, [Wayne] Rooney, [Robin] Van Persie, [Carlos] Tevez, [Emmanuel] Adebayor and Diego Costa in the Premier League. No wonder they think he is the best defender in the league."

EPL star Henderson hits back at Ballack's comments

EPL star and champion in-the-waiting Jordan Henderson has given a tongue-in-cheek response to this by saying that these players were lucky. Henderson has been known to heap praise on his teammate as earlier this month, he talked about how van Dijk's presence has brought calm to the dressing room of the EPL club.

"I couldn’t speak highly enough of him as a player. Of course, everybody knows how good he is and what he’s done over the last couple of years for the team, he’s been immense."
Henderson and van Dijk while training
Henderson and van Dijk while training

The captain goes on to say that van Dijk has also served as an inspiration to others on the EPL club's squad.

"But for me, he’s brought something huge off the pitch. I couldn’t speak highly enough of him off the pitch and the type of man and person that he is. He’s an incredible person, a great leader to have in the dressing room and he’s given everybody a big boost from the first minute that he came in."

The Englishman continued,

"Every day it’s a pleasure to be around him, [he’s] always smiling, always in a good frame of mind and he’s had a huge impact in the dressing room and on the pitch since he’s been at the club. He does things properly, leads by example and I’m just delighted for him [with] how he’s been playing and getting all the awards that he’s been getting because it’s well deserved and he deserves everything he gets."
Henderson's tongue-in-cheek response on Instagram
Henderson's tongue-in-cheek response on Instagram

The England international has also had a very good season in the EPL, with many pundits and journalists touting him to win the PFA Player of the Year Award. He has captained the club with his incredible leadership ability. He has even shown that bit of inspiration needed to pull the team over the line to stay on top of the EPL table.

Liverpool's State of Play in EPL

Liverpool are currently sailing at the top of the EPL table with a 25 point gap over nearest rivals, Manchester City, who do have a game in hand. Liverpool just need to win their next two games to clinch the EPL title. This would be especially sweet as this year would have the 30th anniversary of thei last EPL victory.

Liverpool have been decisive in attack, putting away whatever chances they get. Their defence has been the star of the show though, having conceded just 21 goals in 29 games. At one point, they were on course to beat Chelsea's EPL record of conceding the least goals. They also have an extraordinary goal difference of +45 goals. Liverpool would be hoping for the season to restart so that they can seal their first-ever Premier League title in over three decades.

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