Jordan Henderson shares solidarity with West Ham ace Andriy Yarmolenko
Jordan Henderson has sent West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko a heart-warming message ahead of this evening’s (March 5) Premier League clash with Liverpool.
The Ukrainian will not travel to Anfield [football.london] as he is on compassionate leave amid the Ukraine conflict.
Henderson shared his support for the 32-year-old on behalf of himself and Liverpool in his matchday programme notes.
He said: “I would love to see Andriy Yarmolenko involved.
“I’m well aware that Andriy was given compassionate leave by his club after the invasion of his homeland, Ukraine, started and he only returned to training at the start of this week.
“So it could be that this fixture comes too soon for him, but I would like nothing better than to see him back in action at Anfield.
“I’ve seen how well David Moyes has handled this particular situation and it hasn’t surprised me one bit because it’s been clear for many years that he is a top manager and a brilliant man-manager.
“If Andriy is involved I have no doubt that our crowd will show solidarity with him. If he’s not yet ready then, as club captain, I would like to use these notes to let him know that everyone at Liverpool stands with him.”
Business as usual
Henderson picks up a lot of unfair criticism. Along with the likes of Marcus Rashford and many others, he continuously hits the nail on the head when touching on matters that are bigger than football.
He is a brilliant role model and leader on and off the pitch and his brilliant message in support of Yarmolenko echoes that. He truly is a class act.
You can expect there to be a clear show of solidarity amongst the Liverpool fans for Yarmolenko today which hopefully he sees and gives him a helping hand in his return.
However, that shouldn’t change a single thing when the two teams battle it out at Anfield later though.
The Hammers need to be on Liverpool like a rash, not giving them a second on the ball whilst of course being as defensively compact as possible.
They need to win every game from now until the end of the season to keep their Champions League hopes alive but a point against the Reds would more than suffice.
Who knows they could even replicate the amazing 3-2 victory at the London Stadium if David Moyes and the players get the set up spot on.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes feels ‘helpless’ with Andriy Yarmolenko.
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