"All he does is to play a little pass out wide, or a little pass back" - Van der Vaart slams ex-Liverpool star Jordan Henderson's performances at Ajax

Rafael van der Vaart has openly slammed former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson for his first few performances at Dutch giants Ajax.

Henderson surprisingly left Anfield last summer for a move to the Middle East, where he joined Al Ettifaq under the management of Steven Gerrard. However, after playing 17 matches and making four assists, he cut his time short there, opting for a return to Europe with Ajax in January.

He has made four appearances so far with the Dutch giants. However, his performances haven't pleased former Ajax player Rafael Van der Vaart. Speaking on Ziggo Sport's Rondo, he questioned Henderson's quality at Ajax, saying(via Sport Bible):

“Players have been brought in with zero quality, then you have to sit out this season. They got Jordan Henderson. All he does is to play a little pass out wide, or a little pass back. But nobody will be happy with that.”

Notably, in all four games Henderson has played, Ajax haven't won. The harsh critiques were not only placed on the former Liverpool captain, as Van der Vaart also questioned his old club, adding:

“You'll see on Thursday that they will get through their Conference League tie against Bodo/Glimt with all the luck in the world. Afterwards it's best for them to get knocked out, and to make a fresh start next season. As an Ajax man my heart bleeds. I don't know what I can say about them any more.”

Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie table. They will next face Bodo/Glimt away in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers second leg, with the first leg ending in a 2-2 draw.

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Jurgen Klopp warned Jordan Henderson against Liverpool exit ahead of failed move to Saudi Pro League

Jordan Henderson was once a key player for Liverpool, before making his mega-money move to Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. While he became one of the most notable European players to join a Saudi team, things did not go as planned.

After just six months, Henderson and Al Ettifaq agreed to part ways. At the time, the Arabian outfit had failed to win a game in almost three months. It was believed that Henderson struggled to adjust to life in Saudi Arabia.

Now, the England international plays for Ajax, but before he even left Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp had warned against his move to the Middle East. According to The Atheltic, Klopp revealed his private discussion with Jordan Henderson (via Sport Bible):

"I told Hendo I wanted him to stay, but we had to talk in these conversations about the possibility of not playing regularly. I cannot have a talk before a season and tell a player they will have 50 games a season. It all depends on performances. And if Hendo had performed, he would have had maybe 50 games, absolutely possible."

In the season before he left Liverpool, Henderson started only 23 Premier League games, playing just over 2,000 minutes. He had only eight appearances in all other competitions combined.