Jordan Henderson came to Liverpool as part of a much maligned class of summer signings, which also included Stewart Downing.
After a quite poor debut campaign for both players and the arrival of a new manager in Brendan Rodgers, the club now infamously tried to swap Henderson for Fulham's Clint Dempsey.
Downing has now revealed the advice he gave Hendo at the time, telling The Athletic: "Jordan asked me what I thought he should do.
"I said, 'Do you want to go?'. He said, 'No'. He told me that he wanted to be able to say one day that he only ever played for Sunderland and Liverpool. He didn't want to be someone who went to eight or nine clubs in his career.
"I told him, 'Well, there's your answer. Just tell them you want to stay and fight. The club can't force you to go somewhere you don't want to go. So if you want to stay, you stay. Prove them wrong'.
"I'm so glad he stayed. He's had an amazing career at Liverpool. He's come through a lot. It all started with a really tough first couple of years. I'm sure that made him into the player he is today."
The decision, of course, paid off handsomely, with Henderson going on to become captain of the club and leading them to domestic as well as European glory.
And while Downing may have gone without a goal contribution in his debut season for Liverpool, we can safely say he provided one of the biggest assists in the club's recent history with this piece of advice!
RELATED NEWS
Henderson reportedly set for new Liverpool deal that could see him retire here
As per Mirror Football, Liverpool are ready to open contract talks with captain Jordan Henderson.
Hendo's current deal expires at the end of the 2022/23 season when the captain will turn 33.
However, as per the report, Jurgen Klopp is a huge fan of the midfielder and is aware of his impact both on and off the field.
Liverpool are already talking to Virgil van Dijk and Alisson about new contracts, and Henderson is the next big name in line for discussions.
The report adds that this new deal could see Hendo end his career at Liverpool - we don't know if it will be a lifetime deal, but if it's a long-term deal, the captain retiring here is a real possibility.
And no one can say that it won't be well-deserved as he's the skipper who ended our Premier League title drought and his influence is clear to see.
