Klopp stands up for his ex-captain Henderson in VERY awkward press conference

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was involved in an awkward press conference exchange with a Dutch journalist he wrongly suspected of conducting a brutal interrogation of Jordan Henderson.

The former Liverpool captain, now at Ajax in the Netherlands, was put on the spot in a tense TV interview after a 2-2 home draw with Fortuna Sittard on March 10.

That came a few days prior to a 4-0 pasting by Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League, one of many lows in a disastrous season for the Amsterdam club, who sit 33 points shy of Eredivisie leaders PSV.

Klopp had obviously watched the excruciating interview with Henderson and, speaking ahead of Liverpool's Europa League quarter-final with Atalanta, took a Dutch reporter to task.

'You are not the one who interviewed Jordan Henderson, are you?' an annoyed-looking Klopp asked the reporter.

'No, that was my colleague,' came the reply from the back of the room.

That didn't seem to satisfy Klopp, who looked determined to stick up for Henderson. 'He a friend of yours?' the German coach asked before breaking into laughter.

'What a horrible interview that was,' Klopp opined. 'Do you know anybody who liked it?'

The reporter said: 'I spoke to him [his colleague] and he regretted a bit the interview, he was a bit too hard. He said it all on television.'

Klopp responded: 'Wow, ok. I take that apology on behalf of Hendo.'

In the no-nonsense interview with Henderson last month, the journalist opened by asking: 'Was this the worst game since you were here and maybe your worst performance?'

Henderson gives a wry smile before responding: 'No, because we didn't lose. As you just asked us before the camera came on. It's always worse when you lose the game.'

The uncompromising broadcaster continues, 'but was it a poor performance?'

England midfielder Henderson says: 'It wasn't our best performance but we knew it was going to be a tough game. We only played three days ago against a good side in Villa.

'It's always hard but we kept going and sometimes when you're not playing well, it's good that you don't lose.'

The reporter, speaking in English, ventures there were too many sideways passes, to which Henderson lovely agrees Ajax could have created more.

Returning to his original line of questioning, the reporter repeats: 'You said you didn't perform well so can I call it a poor performance?

'You can call it what you want,' says Henderson.

Ajax had managed to salvage a point against mid-table Fortuna thanks to Brian Brobbey's late equaliser.