Henderson happy at Pompey

Several clubs were keen to lure the 23-year-old away from Portsmouth after an impressive first half to the season between the posts.

The former Republic of Ireland Under 21 international has made 20 appearances since joining from Bristol City last summer.

Financial problems have seen several players linked with moves away from Pompey, but Henderson says that he never gave leaving the club a second thought.

Respect

"It was nice to hear about the interest, but I thought that it was right to stay here for both myself and my development," Henderson told Sky Sports.

"It is a great club, with some of the best fans in the country here and the new manager coming in has lifted everyone too, so there was never any doubt in me leaving.

"Obviously, the club's current financial situation is a worry for everyone connected with the club, but if it did get sorted everyone knows that it is such a great club to be at and that is why everyone wanted to stay.

"We all know the potential here and there is so much respect for the gaffer and coaches, so we all believe that we can be a part of something special here."

Pompey currently lie 13 points off the play-off picture, but Henderson expects this month to be a crucial time for their top-six aspirations, with no fewer than six fixtures.

He added: "It is only 13 points and that is certainly do-able, especially with so many games this month.

"We just need to get stuff sorted off the pitch and then the football will take care of itself, but we could be right up there come the end of February if all goes well.

"It is arguably the biggest month of the season for us because at the end of it we could be in a play-off position or obviously it could go the other way, but we aren't looking at it in a negative way."