What should the club now do with Jack Hendry amid romours?

By David Walton

January 2, 2019

Jack Hendry’s future is certainly going to take an interesting twist, regardless of what happens.

The former Dundee defender was signed by the Champions one year ago. That deal cost Brendan Rodgers’ side £1.5million, and to say the Hoops haven’t seen a return on it is an understatement.

After making just 14 appearances for the club this season, he’s quickly fallen out-of-favour. Failure to distribute the ball from the back combined with some weak one-to-one defending has led to him sometimes missing out on match-day squads altogether.

Jack Hendry was poor in the early stages of the season for Celtic (MB Media/Getty Images)

Today, however, the likes of Sunderland and Portsmouth have been linked with him. It looks like his time at Parkhead could be coming to an end – on-loan at least.

Many would wave him off to England without a moment of hesitation. Such has been Hendry’s consistently poor displays this season, many supporters have turned off him.

But it’s interesting to see that the club don’t appear to be ready to see the Scotland international leave permanently. Any loan deal is likely to be a short six-month stint.

Are Celtic right to hold onto Hendry?

Therefore, are the club right not to give up on him totally?

There is potential there in Hendry. He has the confidence to get on the ball and has shown good character in a Celtic jersey so far. His performance in the 10-man win at Ibrox also showed that he has it in him.

Consistency is key for Hendry, however. Too often does he lose concentration, and he’s allowed bad performances to get to him this term.

Hendry is now a Scotland international (Mark Runnacles – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Celtic are right to see what happens when he gets consistent game-time under his belt this season. Half a year in England’s Championship or League One could help bring some confidence back to his game. After all, he’s a player who’s in desperate need of it.

Considering he has four centre-backs ahead of him in the Celtic squad at the moment, he needs to get out. At this stage, he’s just rotting away in Celtic’s reserves.

But the Hoops appear keen to hold onto their investment in the long-term.

A spell in England will tell us so much more about Hendry, and Celtic are right to keep their options open on him.