Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has played down claims that Jordan Henderson will effectively replace captain Steven Gerrard next season.
The Reds skipper will leave the club at the end of the campaign to join Los Angeles Galaxy, and Henderson is expected to take over the captain's armband on a permanent basis.
Dalglish signed Henderson from Sunderland for around £16m in 2011, and while the Scot praised how the midfielder has developed, the ex-manager thinks that Gerrard is irreplaceable.
He told The Mirror: "It is unfair to use the word 'replace' when you talk about Jordan, Steven Gerrard and the Liverpool captaincy, though.
"He doesn't replace Steven. Nobody will - you can forget anybody coming in as a one-off replacement. He just takes over as captain when Steven leaves in the summer. Taking on the mantle doesn't seem to faze Jordan.
"It's like a sport all its own in this country - you pigeonhole somebody coming through and put a tag on them. But he is his own man and if you're your own person, you have got a better chance of succeeding."
Liverpool host Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-final of the FA Cup on Sunday, with Henderson likely to continue as captain in Gerrard's absence through injury.
Paul Gorst
