Jack Hendry could reportedly leave Celtic for Scottish Premiership rivals Kilmarnock or Motherwell.
Brendan Rodgers liked Jack Hendry as soon as he laid eyes upon him.
“The boy Hendry at the back I thought was excellent,” Rodgers told the Scottish Sun in October 2017 after Celtic struggled to a 1-0 win over Dundee. “He’s quick and strong, and is a good size. Scotland need centre-halves and he looks a talent.”
Three months later, Hendry was a Celtic player. After weeks of speculation and a series of failed bids, The Hoops finally got their man after agreeing to pay £1.5 million.
But, less than two years on, the prospect of Hendry emerging as one of the brightest young talents in Scottish football feels like it belongs in an alternative universe. The 24-year-old is not the first player who has struggled to live up to exalted expectations at Celtic after thriving elsewhere but his decline is as shocking as it has been rapid.
In fact, Hendry hasn’t made a single appearance for The Hoops since Rodgers left in February to be replaced by Neil Lennon. Now, the Daily Record claims that he could be farmed out on loan to Motherwell and Kilmarnock as the former Wigan youngster looks to rebuild his reputation.
Brendan Rodgers made 23 signings in two-and-a-half years at Celtic but a worrying trend becomes clear when looking through a very diverse list. Only four of those, Moussa Dembele, Filip Benkovic, Scott Sinclair and Odsonne Edouard can be considered an unqualified success, after all.
And Hendry is just one of many exciting young talents who arrived at Celtic amid high expectations before falling rapidly out of favour.
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