Jordan Henderson is confident that teammate Divock Origi can have a "big season" for Liverpool after the striker's fine goalscoring return in their 2-0 pre-season win over AC Milan.

Origi was brought off the substitutes' bench for his first appearance of the summer so far after Euro 2016 and took no time at all to make his mark, bending the breakthrough goal into the bottom corner on the hour mark at Levi's Stadium in California.

The Reds' No.27 had the ball in the back of the net a second time, only to be denied by the linesman's flag for offside, before Roberto Firmino sealed the win with 17 minutes remaining.

And Henderson, himself making his first start since the Euros, was so impressed by Origi's display - as well as his performances last term - that he believes he can have a huge say on the squad's success across the campaign.

Talking to Liverpoolfc.com, the captain said that Origi has "progressed throughout his time here" and is "getting better and better" under Jürgen Klopp.

The midfielder declared that he "finished last season brilliantly" before picking up "a bad injury" which brought an end to his season, but insisted that the 21-year-old is "looking sharp in pre-season again."

"I think he is going to have a big season," continued Henderson, who labelled Origi as "a big player" for the team.

We still want to improve, admits Henderson

The display was a welcome improvement from the one that saw them beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in their International Champions Cup opener earlier in the week.

England international Henderson believes that, while they can still improve in areas, they produced a "complete performance" in Santa Clara.

He said that the team are "very pleased" with their performance and in particular "the way we worked for the full 90 minutes", insisting that with "the goals as well" then "all round it was a good night."

Henderson celebrates with goalscorer Firmino after the Reds' second goal. (Picture: Liverpool FC)
Henderson celebrates with goalscorer Firmino after the Reds' second goal. (Picture: Liverpool FC)

"I felt good and like I've said, it's the best I have felt in a long time coming into a pre-season," continued the 26-year-old, who explained that he has been "working hard" to get fit and "felt good out there."

He added that "as did a lot of the other lads" as he labelled their collective showing as "a complete performance" despite admitting: "We still want to improve on certain things."

Henderson acknowledged they could have scored "a few goals" with the chances they created but said overall they come away "happy with the performance."

Captain pleased with Reds' performance

He revealed that they were pleased to have met Klopp's expectations, and the way in which they carried the work put in on the training pitches into a game situation, explaining that the German wanted them "to win the ball back as quickly as possible" and "make sure we kept out shape."

The No.14 also added that Klopp wanted them to "keep the ball in the final third" and "keep creating chances", which he says they "did very well throughout the game" which he described as "pleasing." 

The Reds' US tour now moves on to its final leg in St. Louis, with the squad leaving their training base of Stanford University ahead of a clash with AS Roma at the Busch Stadium.

Henderson insisted that their time in California has been "brilliant" and that they had "a really good training set-up and training camp." He also thanked the "brilliant" fans and hoped that the club "can come back soon."

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About the author
Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.