Jordan Henderson stepped up his game as Liverpool captain after the club signed Virgil van Dijk.
That is according to club legend John Aldridge.
Van Dijk arrived in January 2018 and has since won the Premier League and Champions League with Henderson as skipper.
And Aldridge thinks the England midfielder knew he had competition for the armband in van Dijk.
He told the Liverpool Echo: "When Virgil van Dijk came to the club, everyone was saying he would go on to be the captain and Jordan's not soft, he probably knew what people were thinking and that the big Dutchman was a threat to his hopes of keeping hold of the armband.
"But he upped his game as a captain, in the dressing room and on the pitch, and I really think he's been a brilliant captain for Liverpool and deserves all the accolades which have come his way in recent times.
"When he's on the pitch he's always shouting orders, lifting and organising the players around him and if he'd have been playing at Aston Villa we would not have lost 7-2, without a doubt."
