Since arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2011 for a fee of around £16million, Jordan Henderson has been on a steady rise throughout his time at Liverpool, quickly becoming a solid member of Brendan Rodgers’ current side, and even staking his claim within the England national set-up in the run up to Euro 2016.

The former Sunderland man has subsequently been touted as a potential captain of future Liverpool teams, with some in the game even going as far as labeling the 24-year-old the ‘next Steven Gerrard.’

Within the context of such a claim, does the current Anfield midfielder really warrant such a lofty status, or has Jordan Henderson in-fact been just another in a long line of young English talents to simply receive too much hype in recent years?

Whatever your opinion on the no. 14, it must be conceded that the man from the North East has turned out to be a great deal better than what many within the footballing community initially deemed him to be. £16m certainly seemed like too much for a player that had barely achieved a thing in the Premier League, and had so far only displayed glimpses of what his overall game could offer.

Henderson has nonetheless proved that he is worthy of plying his trade in the English top-flight throughout the last few seasons, and definitely provides a positive force within Brendan Rodgers’ current side.

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However, none of this means that he is destined to become the next Steven Gerrard by any stretch of the imagination. Such claims seem to be born out of delusion rather than anything else. Yes – the romanticised idea of Gerrard being replaced by a young up-and-coming star currently in the same squad as the Liverpool legend would seem like the ideal situation, but if such claims are to be taken as truth, the future of this once successful football club will only continue to remain short of what Liverpool could ultimately be achieving.

Jordan Henderson simply doesn’t even come close to being the next Steven Gerrard in the grand scheme of things. Obviously scenarios such as this one are always subject to change, and of course, it is not impossible for the former Sunderland man to one day become an even better player, yet as things stand these bold statements are some way wide of the mark.

Gerrard possessed an ability that could see him get into any team in the world during his hey-day. His goal ratio from midfield was simply remarkable, he seemed to never lose control of the ball when the legendary Liverpool captain was at his best, and while that all important Premier League trophy nonetheless eluded the former England captain throughout his footballing life, his overall CV goes down as one of the best careers of his era.

The thought of Jordan Henderson starting for the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and perhaps even Chelsea – with all due respect – would simply seem too out of place to be given any real consideration. For all his effort and admirable determination shown for Brendan Rodgers’ team this season, the 24-year-old simply will never reach the world class status that many expect him to if he carries on at his current rate of development.

Henderson may have proven to be a very good player this campaign, but in all honesty he just hasn’t been outstanding. He can certainly go on to achieve his own individual legacy at Anfield, but with all things considered, the current England international simply doesn’t warrant being labelled the ‘next Steven Gerrard.’

Away from such needless hype and media scrutiny however, and the former Sunderland man might just eventually prove his doubters wrong…

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Javier Hernandez has long been insisting that if he’d been playing more games for Real Madrid then he’d be scoring more goals for the club. And true to his word since gaining back-to-back starts for Los Blancos, Chicharito hasn’t let his manager down.

His change of fortunes began when he was started against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter final match. The first-leg had surprisingly ended 0-0, despite both teams fielding highly capable forwards, though the city rivals had already played each other a ridiculous six times this season so perhaps they were just bored of the sight of each other.

Anyway, with neither side able to break the deadlock, everything was there to play for when the fixture came to the Bernabeu. And although Real Madrid will always be considered a stronger team than their much poorer neighbours, on the night of the return fixture they were missing key attacking players Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale. So up stepped Hernandez for his big moment, and he didn’t fail to impress.

Both teams had good chances, but with full time approaching and no goals yet again, it looked certain to go into extra time. Then a clever pass across the box from Cristiano Ronaldo to Hernandez put Real 1-0 up and ultimately into the semi finals.

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You could see from the Mexican’s reaction that he couldn’t quite believe his luck. Not only had he scored for his adopted club but his goal had allowed them to continue their journey towards an eleventh Champions League trophy.

Since that magical night Hernandez has found himself back in favour with manager Carlo Ancelotti. He was rewarded with a start in their next Liga match against Celta Vigo where he scored twice, a result which may well put him in contention for their remaining league fixtures and upcoming European game away to Italy’s Juventus.

Hernandez has been on loan with the Spanish capital club for the past year and his long term future will be decided shortly. If Real choose not to sign him on a permanent deal then he’ll return to parent club Manchester United, though manager Louis van Gaal has made it clear that despite his recent good form there is no future for the striker at the club.

Fortunately he has impressed enough lately to be able to receive a few good offers from top clubs if Real Madrid overlook him.

Throughout what has surely been a frustrating season waiting for consistent playing time, Hernandez has stayed positive and it is perhaps this positivity and patience that has meant he was able to play without fear and take his opportunities when they arrived. Many players who are in the middle of a goal drought or are trying to prove themselves allow the stress to affect their performances, and it often makes the situation worse.

Real Madrid could use having a player like Javier Hernandez as another attacking option next season, but would a player in the peak of his career agree to spending more time on the Old Trafford bench than on the pitch?

Whether he’s a Real Madrid player next season or not, Hernandez has shown that he is still a formidable and relevant striker and should be proud of his year as a Galactico.

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Not bad for a so-called Manchester United reject.

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Romelu Lukaku’s new agent has made some bold claims recently about the status of the Belgian forward.

He has stated that had he been representing Lukaku earlier he would never have signed for Everton. He also believes Lukaku is better than Chelsea’s Diego Costa.

Is Mino Raiola right or is he just being disrespectful?

After spending a season on loan at Everton from Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku signed for Roberto Martinez’s side last July for £28 million. He had scored 15 league goals for the Toffees in the 2013/14 season; a bit of a jump from the 0 Premier League goals registered at Chelsea.

During his time at Everton, Lukaku has received immense praise for both his work rate and his goals. Whereas at Chelsea, he hardly got a look in.

So what is so wrong with playing for Everton?

They may not be a ‘big six’ side but they aren’t a bad side either. They were one of the teams to watch in the Europa League before being knocked out by Dynamo Kiev. Everton may not be as high up the table as they were last season but they also aren’t fighting to stay up.

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Considering Everton giving Lukaku first team football, he should be grateful. It is clear to see that Chelsea did not want him, despite Raiola saying he may have still been playing at the Bridge had he been his agent earlier.

But why would Lukaku want to stay at Chelsea just to keep the bench warm?

Everton have helped Lukaku become the player he is today. They may not be the most glamorous side on earth but you could certainly do a lot worse.

Raiola had no need to speak out about Everton. Having faith in Lukaku is one thing, but to bash the side who field him and pay his wages is another.

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Lukaku probably won’t play for Everton forever. But he does now and that is what matters.

He still plays in the league that is considered to be the best and most physical in the world. Raiola’s comments were disrespectful and he should be careful he does not make things worse for his player.

If anything, his comments could deter supposedly ‘bigger’ sides from signing him.

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The last game of the season is approaching, and the players are already dreaming of pina coladas and sandy beaches. Most of them anyway. It’s the time of the year when few clubs have anything to play for, and the ones that do are frantic and pumped up.

Aston Villa do still have something to play for – a big something, the FA Cup – but this weekend it’s Premier League duty. Villa are safe, and their opponents are the already-relegated Burnley.

So there’s not much to play for in this particular game. And Villa are in a tricky situation.

It’s not at all a bad situation, but every club goes through this in their last game before a cup final – do you play your best team and try to gain momentum before the final, or do you rest your players out of a mortal fear of an injury to your best and brightest?

Momentum is important, if you’re out of form you’re more likely to lose. Psychology is at work here and when things go wrong, they seem to go worse the next time. Bayern Munich are a good example of how having bigger fish to fry can hurt you big time. Bayern stopped trying in the Bundesliga post winter break, their league form suffered and they were dumped out of the Champions League fairly convincingly at the hands of Barcelona. The same thing happened last season when they faced Real Madrid.

You need to keep the form going because if you don’t, you’re likely to meet a team in form in the final.

Villa’s form, though, took a bit of a knock last week in their 6-1 humiliation at St Mary’s against Southampton. That might look like a shocker, something that will have hit their confidence and made it more difficult to get up for the final. Or it might really benefit them for the final.

The great thing for Villa after that horror show last weekend is the fact that they have another game before they face Arsenal at Wembley. They have a game now to put things right and find their feet again. Burnley are certainly no pushovers as they’ve showed this season, but after a heavy defeat, the best thing for Villa is that they’re playing against a weaker team – as evidenced by their relegation.

A win against Burnley would see the confidence soar before the final.

Last season, Hull City went into the FA Cup final on the back of some shocking league form – two wins in 11 games – and lost to Arsenal. This time around, if Villa win on Sunday they’ll have five wins in their last seven in all competitions. Arsenal meanwhile, have won only two of their last six.

It’s not all about form, of course, but it’s nice to have form going into the final. And against Arsenal, who are big favourites, Villa will need all the help they can get.

But this is the tough situation that Villa face. Since Sherwood has come in, they players have been on good form overall, but they’ve worked hard. Sherwood might be tempted to rest some players to keep them fresh for the final, but when you’ve just been trounced by Southampton you don’t want to have to wait a week before you can get out onto the pitch again to make amends. And you definitely don’t want to be trying to make amends at Wembley.

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But without resting some players, Villa’s key members of the squad might not want to play Burnley as wholeheartedly as they might otherwise. Burnley are a physical team who will work hard, and if the Villa players are worried about injuries then they’ll find it very tough.

That’s the balancing act for Sherwood. He can rest players to keep them fit, or win the game and gather momentum, but he knows it’s not as simple as that. Sherwood’s solace is the fact that Wenger is in exactly the same position. Short of form and worried about the fitness of key players.

So which do you prioritise – form or fitness?

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Arsenal have already signed one player this summer in Petr Cech for one of the key areas of their team that needed to be addressed if the Gunners are going to be challenging for the title next season.

But that doesn’t mean Gunners manager Arsene Wenger’s business is done just yet. There are other areas that Arsenal need to strengthen in, and these are right up the spine of the team. The key positions are in central defence where the Gunners need to strengthen, in defensive midfield and up front.

And what could be a better place to find this talent than the Bundesliga? Here are five top players the Gunners should be looking to sign this summer.

The first of these is Christoph Kramer, who is a German international defensive midfielder, but is also comfortable at centre-back.

Kramer is just 24-years-old and has already got 10 international caps with Germany. He has played his football on-loan at Borussia Monchengladbach for the last couple of years but is now hoping to nail down a permanent position at his parent club Bayer Leverkusen.

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He may be best known for his surprise World Cup final appearance where he was subbed early following concussion, but he is well known in Germany as one of their top young players. He is a midfield rock, strong at breaking up attacks and allowing his team mates to play, a typical good defensive midfielder and would be a good signing for Arsenal.

The second player Arsenal should be looking to sign is Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who would certainly address their striking problems.

Aubameyang is a well known player to English fans; he has incredible pace, can play out wide or up front and importantly for the Gunners, he scores goals.

He scored 16 league goals last season, mainly from the wing, but he is also fully capable of playing up front. The forward would get plenty more goals up top considering the chances Wenger’s side creates. The Gunners have already been heavily linked with the Gabon international already and for £28m it could be a fantastic deal for Arsenal.

Another player from the Bundesliga that the Gunners should look to sign is Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne. The former Chelsea man was one of the most creative players in Europe last season, scoring an impressive 10 goals and tallying a staggering 20 assists.

The Belgium international would prove to be a pricey transfer, but with those sort of numbers the Gunners would be getting a player capable of creating chances a plenty and is really a top drawer player.

Schalke whizkid Maximilian Meyer is another player with the potential to be a success in the Premier League; he is not exactly a household name as of yet, but he is expected to become one.

At just 19-years-old he has already been capped by Germany and has been a regular feature for Schalke over the last two seasons.

Meyer is an attacking midfielder and has already been compared to Mario Gotze and Lionel Messi, due to his dribbling abilities and lightening pace. He is a huge talent and will become a fantastic player

This next player is not quite as inexperienced and that is Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus, who would be the biggest signing of the lot.

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Reus is an outstanding talent, a German international and one of the best players in the Bundesliga. He has 25 caps with Germany and has regularly notched over ten goals a season from wide positions for Dortmund.

Reus is best known for his versatility, speed and his superb technique. And this versatility means that Reus could even be considered as a striking option for Wenger’s side.

He is of course more suited to the left wing, but is as equally able to play on the right or centrally due to his ability to control the ball with both feet. The German is a superb player and would be a huge signing for the Gunners.

If Arsenal can complete one or two of these deals then Wenger’s side would much improved for it.

Leeds United have recruited a new player to the squad in the form of Japanese midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi.

The 21-year-old has not yet finalised the switch from Gamba Osaka, but is expected to sign on the dotted line next week.

The midfielder will undergo a medical before completing the deal, but the club have confirmed that he will likely be sent on loan until the end of the season.

Ideguchi is expected to join Cultural Leonesa on a temporary deal due to the face that the J1 League only finished in December.

The young midfielder is not well-known on a broad scale, but he already has 10 international caps for Japan to his name.

Leeds fans gave their reaction to the news on Twitter.

As it stands, Thomas Christiansen’s side are sixth in the Championship table following a run of five wins in their last six matches.

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Next up for the Whites in the league is a trip to face Ipswich Town on January 13, but before that, the team will take on Newport County in the FA Cup this weekend.

Reported Arsenal target Jonny Evans scored as West Bromwich Albion picked up their first Premier League win since August by beating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 at the Hawthorns on Saturday, and Gunners fans have urged their club to sign the defender.

The Telegraph reported on January 8 that the north London outfit are keen to bring the Northern Ireland international to the Emirates this month, with the Baggies wanting around £25m for the player who has 18 months left on his contract.

The west Midlands outfit’s captain headed his side in front against the Seagulls on Saturday, before Craig Dawson secured a crucial three points for Alan Pardew’s side after the break.

Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the former Manchester United man’s latest display via social media, and while one said “sign Jonny Evans now”, another said “Evans is class”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Bristol City centre-back Aden Flint put in an impressive display as his side was narrowly beaten 2-1 by runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie at the Etihad Stadium, and West Ham United fans have urged their club to sign the defender.

The Championship high-flyers were just minutes away from securing an impressive draw before Sergio Aguero struck late on, and Flint was a rock for the Robins at the back and made a remarkable goal-line clearance from a Raheem Sterling effort.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed another strong campaign for his team after a summer move to Birmingham City fell though, and as well as his defensive nous he has also scored six goals in 22 league games so far this term.

West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the tall centre-half’s performance against Pep Guardiola’s men, and while one simply said “sign Aden Flint”, another described him as a “class act”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Manchester United starlet Tahith Chong scored once and generally impressed on his debut for the U23 side as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in front of a watching Jose Mourinho, and Red Devils fans have been quick to have their say on his display.

The central midfielder, who only celebrated his 18th birthday last month, scored his team’s goal as his energy and pressing forced the Spurs defence into a mistake, while his skill and all-round play will have certainly caught the attention of Mourinho in the stands.

With Michael Carrick retiring at the end of the season and Marouane Fellaini potentially leaving in the summer if he doesn’t agree a new deal, the Portuguese boss will be looking for more options in the middle of the park, and Chong could be one of those to get a call-up to the first team.

Man United supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the teenager’s performance, and while one descirbed him as “Fellaini but with feet”, another said “Chong is so similar to Sane”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Javier Hernandez’s arrival at West Ham United last summer was met with overwhelming approval from the club’s fans.

The Mexico international joined the East London outfit with a decent pedigree due to his previous spells at Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen.

When David Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic as manager in November, things started to change.

Hernandez struggled for game time, and in his first nine outings under the Scotsman, the forward did not play a full 90 minutes.

It is only in his last three appearances in all competitions when the ex-United man has competed for the whole game, but that could be down to the fact that Marko Arnautovic has been injured.

There were rumblings throughout the widespread media that Hernandez could leave in January, but a transfer never came to pass.

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Now, during an interview with Radio Marca Claro, the 29-year-old has opened up about his relationship with the manager.

“We get along, there has never been anything, no personal problem, we have never had frictions, or those negative moments, we have not had anything. I’ve never had a problem with him or anyone, no personal problem, thank God. There will be people with whom I get along better than others, but that does not mean they are my enemies, the truth is that the situation [with Moyes] is fine, there is nothing wrong that I can say.”