LIVERPOOL legend Terry McDermott believes Jordan Henderson will flourish at Anfield under the guidance of manager Kenny Dalglish and skipper Steven Gerrard.

The 21-year-old midfielder became the Reds’ first summer signing when he completed a £16million switch from Sunderland earlier this month.

McDermott insists it was a smart piece of business and is confident Dalglish will help Henderson realise his obvious potential.

“Kenny is the master,” McDermott said. “I’m sure he’ll work with Jordan on what he needs to do. Any player who signs for the club now will learn plenty from Kenny. Andy Carroll’s the same. I’m sure Kenny will help him become an even better centre-forward.

“As well as Kenny, Jordan will also have Steven Gerrard to look up to. I think he’s spoken about how he admires him already.

“If he listens to him and puts in the effort that’s required, there’s no reason why he can’t be a great player for the club. I think he’s a very astute signing.”

Henderson can operate on the right wing or in a central role and McDermott says that versatility is a major plus for Dalglish.

“I recently watched him for England Under-21s at the European Championships and it’s clear to me that he’s a good player,” he said.

“He’s very energetic and can function in more than one position.

“That versatility is a great asset. It gives the manager options if he has players who can slot in to different positions. It’s great for Jordan too became it gives him more chance of playing.

“When everyone is fit, Kenny will have a lot of options in midfield and that’s got to be a good thing.”

McDermott, who won three European Cups during a glittering career at Anfield between 1974 and 1982, was famed for his goal-scoring contribution from midfield.

In 1981/82 he netted 14 goals in only 29 league appearances and in total scored 81 times in 329 games for the Reds.

Henderson has spoken of his desire to add more goals to his game and McDermott believes with hard graft he can achieve that aim.

“I never scored many for Newcastle and if you look at my record you’ll see I didn’t get many in the first few seasons at Liverpool,” he added. “It’s definitely something you can learn to do. You adapt as you get older and you become wiser.

“I studied those around me and watched what they did. That helped me a lot.

“I began to realise what I needed to do to score more often. All of a sudden I was getting 15 to 20 goals a season. If Jordan works on that side of his game, there’s no reason why he can’t get double figures too.”