Celtic loanee Jack Hendry has been praised by his manager at Oostende for the impact he’s had on the team this season. Alexander Blessin has been mightily impressed by the Celtic man who is currently at Oostende on a season long loan deal.
“When I speak to Jack, I don’t understand a word he says,” the German gaffer joked. “But his team mates do because he’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him,” Blessin continued, as reported by Daily Record. “He’s been a tower of experience for us. Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
“He’s a natural leader and his presence has brought on his central defensive partners, Arthur Theate and Anton Tanghe.
“Their improvement is largely down to Jack Hendry because he coaches them during the game and organises them. He can defend, he’s fast and he’s also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height.
“When you get signed by a club the size of Celtic at such a young age, then you obviously must have a lot of qualities.”
Hendry will still have a year left on his contract at Celtic when his loan spell is up at Oostende, who may be looking at a permanent deal for the Scotland international defender. Hendry was targeted by elements of the support at Celtic and seemed to have his confidence completely shattered wearing a Celtic shirt.
Whether his time in Australia, where he looked very good playing for Melbourne City before suffering a bad knee injury, and this season in the top flight in Belgium, will see a more confident and assured defender returning to Celtic in the summer, we will have to wait for and see.
Probably more likely is that Hendry will play his way into making a permanent move to Oostende where he is respected, wanted and where he is clearly enjoying his football. And it’s good to hear.
