Gerrard reveals the one Liverpool player he "used to love" playing with most at Anfield

Liverpool legend Steven Gerard has revealed Xabi Alonso was the best player he played with at Anfield.

Gerrard and Alonso partnered each other in the Reds' midfield for five years before the Spaniard departed for Real Madrid in 2009.

Gerrard admitted he enjoyed the freedom he was given by Alonso to play a more attacking role.

The former England international racked up 185 goals and 150 assists over his illustrious 17-year career in Merseyside.

However, he also acknowledged current Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, stating he was a "selfless leader".

Gerrard on Xabi Alonso

Sitting down with Mohamed Salah for the documentary, 'When Stevie met Salah', Gerrard lifted the lid on the best players he'd shared a pitch with.

“The best I played with? I used to enjoy playing with Jordan [Henderson], because Jordan was very self-less, he was a leader, he’d do a lot of running for me and I was older at the time so I needed Jordan’s energy,” said Gerrard.

“But if you’re talking about an individual player that I used to love was Xabi Alonso. Alonso used to allow me to play as a No.10. So, I could get more shots on goal, more goals, more assists.”

Indeed, Henderson was a driving force behind Liverpool's 7-0 demolition of Manchester United on Sunday.

The 32-year-old was tasked with stopping the likes of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park, which he did so with aplomb.

He capped off a brilliant display by lifting the ball into Darwin Nunez, who scored Liverpool's fifth of the day.

The victory leaves the Reds three points adrift of the top four, with a game in hand over Tottenham above them.

Jurgen Klopp's side travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth next in the Premier League, where they will be hoping for a repeat of last year's 9-0 thumping over the Cherries.

Topics: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, Jordan Henderson, Xabi Alonso, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno