Is Jordan Henderson the best player in the Premier League?

Liverpool have been flying this season with a 22 point lead over second-placed Manchester City as the Premier League heads into its winter break.

When Jürgen Klopp took over at Liverpool, they were in disarray. The German undertook a massive rebuild of the squad with the backing of the Liverpool board. Many squad players were sold and replaced as part of the rebuild, but one player who always kept his place was Jordan Henderson.

Liverpool's captain has mainly been deployed as a defensive midfielder by Klopp. In recent seasons, though, he has been made to play higher up the pitch and has adapted to that role brilliantly. It is his work rate that stands out, and hence he becomes really tough to drop.

He has made 24 appearances in the advanced role this season, averaging a 7.24 whoscored rating, providing three goals and four assists.

Making a case for Henderson as the best player this season in the Premier League, however, looks very far fetched. This is because of other competitors such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, his teammates, and Kevin de Bruyne.

Van Dijk has been rock solid yet again this season. He has led a defense that has conceded only 15 goals in 25 matches. Salah has been excellent, providing 20 goal contributions(Goals+Assists) in just 22 appearances in the Premier League. His recent showing against Southampton being a prime example of what he can do.

De Bruyne too, on the other hand, has been absolutely devastating, providing 15 assists. He looks to be well on course to surpass Thierry Henry's Premier League record of 20 assists in a season.

Van Dijk, Salah and De Bruyne are players that make much more impact and are having better seasons than Henderson.

Though a top-three place for Henderson could be argued for, being the best player in the league remains a distant feat simply because the others are too good.

Cover image credits: Fox Sports Asia