Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he was surprised at Jordan Henderson's decision to move to Saudi Arabia.
The Liverpool manager wanted to keep the English player at the club but he could not force him to stay.
The England international signed a huge contract to join Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia for £700,000 a week.
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The Belgian international has been identified by Jurgen Klopp as Fabiho's successor.
The 33-year-old has drawn intense criticism in England, where many claim he is being hypocritical by relocating to a country where their law is against homosexuality, despite Henderson's prior support for the LGBTQ+ community.
His former manager has come out to say he thought Henderson will stay at Anfield and was shocked at his sudden change of decision.
Henderson will be hard to replace says Klopp
Klopp noted in an interview that Henderson's leadership qualities and personal qualities would be missed and that the midfielder will be difficult to replace at Anfield.
Speaking in an interview as reported by Daily Mail, Klopp said, “Was I surprised when Henderson said he wanted to move on? Of course.
“We had a relationship for eight years. He knew the situation that we wanted to keep him but if he wanted to leave we weren't going to throw rocks and stones in the way. It was about reacting to it.
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“Jordan will miss us and we will miss him. We have to go on and we will. That is clear.”
A summer in which many leaders-in-the-making left Anfield is capped by Henderson's transfer to Steven Gerrard's team.
In addition, Roberto Firmino flew to Saudi Arabia to join Al Ahli, while James Milner made a move to Brighton.
The issue of Liverpool’s next captain is yet to be solved since the departure of former captain Jordan Henderson.
However, it is pointing towards the Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk who could captain the team against Leicester in Liverpool's next preseason friendly
Liverpool needs to strengthen
The midfield needs to be strengthened, according to Klopp, if Liverpool is to improve on their trophy-less campaign from the previous season.
Dominik Szoboszlai, a midfielder from RB Leipzig, and Alexis MacAllister, a World Cup champion, have already been signed by Liverpool this summer.
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Klopp said, as reported by Daily Mail, “It's definitely important to strengthen in midfield ‘We have to do something, that is clear.
“We are working on solutions. First people want changes, now everyone is worrying about the changes. We are really optimistic about it. Excited as well.”
The Reds are prepared to make a second bid for Southampton's Romeo Lavia after their initial offer of £35 million plus add-ons was rejected.
Lavia remains the top pick to replace the departing midfield pair, however, the Championship side wants £50 million for their star player.