Aston Villa and Ajax managers in agreement over Jordan Henderson 'acceptance'

Unai Emery and John van 't Schip praised Jordan Henderson after the midfielder captained a young Ajax side to a goalless draw against Aston Villa at Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday evening.

The England international, the wearer of the armband since mid-February, impressed in midfield to help restrict the Villans' threat. Neither side overly exerted themselves in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16, meaning everything will be decided at Villa Park, but that didn't stop Henderson from grabbing the attention.

“He’s a real professional, a leader. You can see on the pitch that the boys around him also feel and accept that," Ajax manager van 't Schip said in the post-match press conference. "Of course, he had a difficult start as he came from Saudi Arabia, didn’t play for a month and wasn’t happy. Now you can clearly see he’s very important not only on the pitch but also off the pitch, talking about things that can improve the environment," van 't Schip continued.

Villa head coach Emery, arriving in the Johan Cruyff Arena press room immediately after the Ajax boss, admitted Henderson was key to the hosts' success with a compact midfield. "Henderson is helping them a lot now. He’s getting better and feeling very comfortable," Emery said. "We didn’t play well and didn’t control the game like we prepared and are usually doing. But we accept it and I’m happy because I knew the difficulty we were going to face," Emery reflected.

It's no surprise Henderson has galvanised Ajax so quickly as the 33-year-old boasts vast experience at the highest level. The winner of seven major trophies with Liverpool and once a Reds player of the year, Henderson is no stranger to success.

Villa don't have the same wealth of proven success in their squad but the fight, togetherness and talent stack up above Ajax regardless. That says a lot about the progress under Emery considering how huge of an opposition the Villans are being positively compared to. All that's left to do now is to prove that superiority in the second leg next Thursday.