Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool wish granted as what Arne Slot and Anfield crowd did speaks volumes
Mohamed Salah has played his final game for Liverpool, but what happened midway through the second-half against Brentford at Anfield would have delighted him
18:01, 24 May 2026Updated 18:12, 24 May 2026
Mohamed Salah applauds the fans as he is substituted off during his last match for Liverpool(Image: (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Mohamed Salah saw his wish for Jordan Henderson to be given a special reception by Liverpool supporters granted. Henderson was back at Anfield for the first time since causing shockwaves nearly three years ago when he left to move to Saudi Arabia, joining Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.
The midfielder captained Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League glory but was never given a proper Anfield farewell ahead of his move to Al-Ettifaq. But back at Anfield on Sunday afternoon with Brentford, Henderson was given a standing ovation by Liverpool supporters as he made his way off the pitch when he was replaced by Aaron Hickey on the hour mark.
Reds players and boss Arne Slot joined in with the applause, and then after the game, Henderson went on a lap of appreciation around Anfield, clapping all four sides of the ground, with Reds supporters showing plenty of love for the England international in return.
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The moments came after Salah called on Liverpool supporters to give the midfielder a special reception. Speaking in an interview with Steven Gerrard earlier this month, the forward said: “I think for the last game of the season against Brentford, the people in the city know how much it meant to Hendo being here.
“[He was] captain of the club, here longer than me, Robbo [Andy Robertson] Virg [Virgil van Dijk], he did not get the farewell he deserved.
“I don’t know how the club is going to manage it, I have no plan but I really wish they do something special for him because he has been one of the best players at this club and without him, we don’t achieve what we achieved.”
Gerrard then said: “Listen, the fans I’m sure absolutely idolised Henderson, just like yourself, get him next to you at the end of the game if you can, get him involved.”
Liverpool fans applaud as Jordan Henderson is substituted off (Image: (Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))
Before Salah replied: “I really hope so, maybe people not in the dressing room [know how important he was], but you were aware of it as you played with him and he loved the club.”
Henderson lasted just six months in Saudi before joining Dutch giants Ajax. He then spent 18 months in Amsterdam before returning to the Premier League this summer to join Brentford.
The England international also admitted towards the end of last year that he was so hurt by his Anfield exit that he couldn’t bear to watch his former club on TV.
He said: “It was a really tough period when I left Liverpool, I was there for a long period of time, 12 years.
Jordan Henderson captained Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2020(Image: LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Leaving Liverpool itself was huge and really difficult and at any point it was going to be hard because it had been my life for so long and then it is just gone like that… so I have struggled for a period after that.
“No, I couldn’t watch a lot of games, I certainly couldn’t watch Liverpool. I didn’t watch a lot of Premier League stuff then… probably picked the right place for that, I was half way around the world!
“Yeah, it was tough, but when you leave Liverpool because I was there for so long because I had such an attachment and I dedicated a large part of my life there, when I left I found it really difficult and I suppose whatever I did or wherever I went…
“I don’t know what it felt like; it felt like a break-up. It was just difficult and I think if you asked a lot of players when they left a club, not just Liverpool but when you have been at a club for so long and you have that attachment to them, whether you retire or move on.
“I think for a period of time that was hard, but within time things change; you move on, but I would say that was probably the most difficult time.”
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