Liverpool vice-captain Jordan Henderson has revealed he wanted to protect his side 's younger players when he decided to confront Chelsea striker Diego Costa during a Capital One Cup clash at Anfield . Henderson decided to square up to Costa during the encounter , which took place back in January , before confronting the Spain international inside the tunnel . The 24-year-old , speaking exclusively to the Sunday Telegraph , has stated why he decided to approach Costa . Liverpool ace Jordan Henderson ( centre ) confronted Diego Costa ( right ) during a Capital One Cup clash . Henderson was unhappy with the way Costa ( far left ) conducted himself during the match back in January . Henderson said : ' I did n't want to make any statement . It was just in that game , he was trying to intimidate some of our younger players , which I did n't really like . 'He 's a fantastic player that any team would want because of that passion and aggression he 's got . I just do n't like the way he was doing things with our players . ' Henderson , who is expected to start against Manchester United in his side 's crunch clash at Anfield , has been tipped to replace Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain at the end of the season - and the former Sunderland man is keen to take up the role . He added : 'It would be an absolute honour to be captain . I 'd love it . At the same time , we have a lot of leaders and characters in the group that could do it as well . 'If it was someone else , I 'd be right behind them . ' Reds midfielder Henderson ( left ) has been tipped to replace Steven Gerrard ( right ) as Liverpool captain .
Jordan Henderson has spoken out regarding incident with Diego Costa . The Liverpool midfielder confronted Costa during cup clash at Anfield . Henderson was unhappy with the way Costa was treating his team-mates . READ : Henderson has become an animal for Liverpool , says Thierry Henry .