Irishman upset by Fergie’s remarks in his new book about the Reds’ young England international.
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Liverpool head coach Brendan Rodgers has heavily criticised former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for the remarks that the Scot made about Reds midfield player Jordan Henderson in his recently published autobiography, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The 71-year-old has caused much debate this week following the release of ‘Ferguson: My Autobiography’ in which the legendary Scottish trainer gives a detailed account of the 26 years that he spent in charge at Old Trafford, before his shock decision to retire from the game at the end of last season.
However, in Ferguson’s chapter on the Merseyside giants entitled ‘Liverpool — A Great Tradition’, the ex-Red Devils boss claims that the Merseyside giants’ England international’s gait “might cause him problems later in his career”, a statement that left the Northern Irishman “bitterly disappointed”.
Liverpool signed the 23-year-old from Sunderland in June 2011 for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £16 million and £20m, with the deal having been made by previous Reds coach Kenny Dalglish.
But Dalglish’s successor in the dugout at Anfield has now hit back at Fergie, saying: “I have got to be honest, that surprised me about Jordan, coming from someone with that status in the game; someone who has worked with young players and understands the impact words can have on them.
“I have to say I thought it was inappropriate. It’s not something that is coming from factual credence.
“This is a boy who can play two or three games on the spin, one after the other. He is a wonderful athlete. One thing I would say is that, physically, he is an absolute machine.
“Jordan is a great kid, a real honest boy who will work and fight to be the best he can be.
“I’m sure if Sir Alex bumps into Jordan, he will apologise. Sir Alex hasn’t worked with him, so doesn’t know what type of player he is. I know he is improving all the time.”
Ferguson also went on in the same chapter on Liverpool to claim that the plethora of big-money signings that Dalglish made in the summer of 2011, Henderson included, were all “substandard buys”.