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Dean Henderson says player who left Liverpool on a free transfer is the most underrated star he’s played against

Giuseppe Labellarte

Thu 4 July 2024 7:15, UK

Liverpool are likely to be busy on the transfer front this summer as Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes look to revamp the Reds squad.

The Anfield outfit has begun a new era💞, with Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp as Reds boss.

Edwards and Hughes will be eager to give the new Liverpool manager all the tools he needs to💙 hit the ground running at An⛎field.

There were also some key outgoings eaꦍrlier this summer, with Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara leaving on a free transfer.

Both players have served♈ Liverpool well, but with their contracts coming to an end, the decision w𓄧as made to allow them to leave.

This 🐟is the second summer that one or more top players have left the Reds on a free. The likes of Roberto Firmino and James Milner left Anfield when their contracts expired last yeaไr.

Now, England international Dean Henderson has described a player who has left Liverpool on a free transfer as the most under♈rated footballer he’s ever played against.

READ MORE: ‘Inc🌳redible’ player still struggling to find a new club after being released by Liverpool

Dean Henderson hails ‘underrated’ Liverpool icon Roberto Firmino

The Crystal🍬 Palace goalke💛eper, speaking on England’s YouTube channel, couldn’t sing Firmino’s praises highly enough.

H♕enderson said: “The most underrated player I’ve ever played against… Fi🌼rmino at Liverpool…. I don’t think he got enough credit for what he was.”

Lions’ den presenter Josh Denzel said: “Fair, yo🎶u think he was that good?”

Hendersonও replied: “Yeah, I thought the wa🅷y he picked the pass and the weight of his passes was fantastic.”

Gary Neville also sung Firmino’s praises

Firmino was the spearhꦿead of Liverpool’s gegenpress, his movement and off-the-ball work helping to bring the best out of Sadio Mane and Mohamed S🐬alah.

When the Reds attacking trident 🌊was in its prime, the Anfiel⭕d outfit was nigh-on unstoppable.

And Henderson is not ♍the first footballer – or pundit – to suggest that Firmino didn’t get the credit he deserved.

For instance, Gary Neville said on Sky Sports in 2021: “I refuse to dis🉐respect Firmino for what he’s done over the past four or five years.

“That front three ༒have been out of🎃 this world and he always seems to be the one that gets pushed away.

“The work ꦇboth in possession and out of possessi🌱on he does on behalf of the team is unbelievable.

“He gets respected, of course he does, but I don’t feel he gets the full respect he deserves in the way that he dovetails with midfield, with the two wide players and how he fills back in big games and drops onto sitting midfielders for op🥀position.

“He does the donkey work when the team needs it, so for me he’s the type of player that needs to be in the team if you’ve got Ronaldo up front as he’s the wo🤪rkhorse in behind who would connect the midfield to the front really well.”