Wednesday 11 March 2015 15:56, UK
Jordan Henderson admitted there is no guarantee he will become Liverpool captain when Steven Gerrard leaves at the end of the season.
The midfielder has been tipped to become a future Reds skipper after a string of impressive performances in the past few weeks.
Manager Brendan Rodgers said last month it was "not necessarily the case" the 24-year-old would automatically become captain next season.
And the England midfielder, who was appointed Gerrard's deputy at the beginning of the season, insists he is taking nothing for granted.
"Next season we'll see what happens because it might not be me succeeding Stevie, it might be someone else," he told the official Liverpool FC magazine.
"There are a lot of strong leaders in the dressing room. There are a lot of big characters in the team - down to earth, humble people.
"Mama (Sakho), Emre (Can) and Skrts (Martin Skrtel) have developed a strong collective understanding. You can see their passion, they're desperate to win, they give everything.
"Studge (Daniel Sturridge) is a big character. Lucas (Leiva) is too. I can only do the current job the best I can."
Since appointing Henderson as vice-captain, Rodgers has urged him to learn as much as he can from Gerrard in his final season and the former Sunderland midfielder has been paying close attention.
"Stevie's the perfect captain really. He's a leader on and off the field," Henderson added.
"He's someone we all look up to. He always puts the team first. He's very unselfish.
"When I became vice-captain, I tried to learn as much from him as I could.
"The thing I've probably learnt most from Stevie is the way he overcomes the disappointments. I think that defines you more than anything.
"I can relate to it. If I look back to my first season here, it wasn't easy. But it made me stronger.”
