Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson says Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will greatly develop under manager Jurgen Klopp this season.
Henderson was speaking ahead of England’s match against Slovakia on Monday evening and seemed confident that Klopp would get even more out of the Ox than Wenger did.
Henderson said via the Mirror: “What you see (with Klopp) is a fantastic manager and I think he will help Alex a lot. He will help him develop as a player and hopefully you will see even more good things from him.
When asked whether this would be in midfield or on the wings, Henderson responded: “I think he can do both very well, he’s a fantastic player, he can adapt to each position, gives you something different on the wing.
“He’s very direct and powerful and in the midfield he’s clever enough to get on the ball and get on the half turn so, for me, he can play in either position.”
Regardless of what Henderson says here, Ox will hope he’ll be playing in the middle of the park at Liverpool, since that’s reportedly the reason he chose to leave Arsenal and why he rejected Chelsea.
If he fails to do so, and doesn’t significantly improve upon the nine league goals he managed in six years with the Gunners, then there would be very little to support his move in the first place.
The 24-year-old already had a spot on the Arsenal teamsheet almost every single week, making 45 appearances in all competitions last season. Oxlade-Chamberlain also had the full support of the manager and a good relationship with the Arsenal fanbase.
His move to Liverpool was a big risk given the Merseyside club have more defensive problems than issues in midfield, but clearly the Reds convinced him that they can develop him.