Aug 3 (Reuters) - Chelsea have ⁠signed experienced midfielder Jordan Henderson on a two-year contract ⁠following his departure from Brentford, the Premier League club said ‌on Monday.

The 36-year-old joined Chelsea on a free transfer after making 34 appearances for Brentford last season, a campaign that earned him a place in England ​World Cup squad.

"Given the size of the ⁠club, the manager, who ⁠I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, ⁠this ‌was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down," Henderson said in a statement. "I was also so impressed with how ⁠much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful ​and move in ‌the right direction."

Henderson came through Sunderland's academy before joining Liverpool ⁠in 2011 ​and he spent 12 seasons at Anfield, making 492 appearances in all competitions and captaining the team to the Premier League title in ⁠2020.

He left Liverpool for Saudi Pro League ​side Al Ettifaq in 2023 but departed after six months to join Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam before joining Brentford last year.

Henderson played ⁠only six minutes at this year's World Cup before suffering a broken arm in a post-match accident following England's last-16 victory over Mexico.

He is new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso's second English signing ​of the transfer window, following the record ⁠acquisition of England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.

Chelsea, who finished 10th ​in the Premier League last season, ‌begin the new campaign at local ​rivals Fulham on August 24.

(Reporting by Paras J. Haji and Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)