Henderson refused to leave Liverpool under Rodgers

The midfielder is gearing up for the biggest game of his professional career as Liverpool take on Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League on May 26. 

However, things weren't always so rosy for Henderson on Merseyside, as he was told he would be allowed to leave in a swap deal for then-Fulham forward Clint Dempsey in the summer transfer window of 2012. 

He touched upon the situation when speaking to the 'Daily Mail', revealing that he found out just hours before a Europa League tie with Hearts.

He said: "Brendan [Rodgers] called me in and said 'listen, this is the offer' and he asked me what I thought.

"It implied to me that he would let me leave and it was up to me. I went back to my room. I shed a few tears. I ended up crying a little bit because it hurt so much. I had the game that night to think about it as well.

"I spoke to my agent and told him what had happened and I said I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay and fight and try and improve and try to prove the manager wrong. My agent agreed. I spoke to my dad. He was gutted but he backed my decision to stay and fight.

"From that point, I just kept my head down. I knew I wouldn't get as much game time as I wanted but I still had faith. I was young enough to get my head down, keep working hard, do my extra bits and prove them wrong and I feel I managed to do that by the time Brendan left.

"There are always those moments in football - and life in general - which can decide the path and the route you go down. For me it was never an option to leave."

Henderson has since proved his worth to Liverpool, becoming an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's midfield and is expected to have a similar role for England in the World Cup this summer.