If Klopp or the owners said to me: 'We want you to stay', we wouldn’t be having this conversation

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson signed for the Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq this summer and has received huge criticism over his move to the Middle East. The Englishman joined his countryman, Reds' legend and captain predecessor Steven Gerrard for a reported eye-watering weekly salary of 820,000 euros.

Henderson left Anfield claiming he wasn't guaranteed regular minutes under Jurgen Klopp and insisted joining Al-Ettifaq was not about the money.

'There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing,' he told the Athletic. 'I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. He was very honest with me. But if one of those people (Klopp or the owners) said to me, ‘Now we want you to stay’, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation”.

“That’s not to say that they forced me out of the club, but at no point did I feel wanted by anyone to stay”.

"I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming in my position.

"And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at a club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long - especially when England’s a big thing for me", Henderson states.

"At that moment I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that."

The 33-year-old has refuted claims around his pay package, as he set the record straight about his predicament at Liverpool that forced him to pursue a new challenge - saying it was vital he was playing regularly ahead of Euro 2024.

Henderson ended a 12-year stay at Liverpool that saw him lift eight trophies as skipper but some may say his tenure on Merseyside ended on a sour note after he opted for riches of Saudi. His reported salary one of the more high profile of those who have flocked for the country's top division this summer.

The midfielder dismissed suggestions he was collecting £700,000-a-week at Al-Ettifaq and said he had struggled with suggestions he had only joined the club purely for cash incentives.

"That was the hardest thing,' he added. 'People will see this club come with loads of money and he’s just gone, “Yeah, I’m going.” When in reality that just wasn’t the case at all. People can believe me or not, but in my life and my career, money has never been a motivation. Ever."

Henderson - who racked up 492 appearances for the Reds, scoring 33 times in a hugely successful spell - admitted he didn't have a huge amount of interest this summer as he outlined the 'exciting' challenge he was looking for and how much he enjoyed feeling 'wanted'.

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