Leeds United are reportedly interested in Jack Hendry, and former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers’s previous comments on the defender will encourage the Elland Road faithful.
90min reported this week that Leeds are among a number of Premier League clubs who want to sign Hendry in the summer transfer window.
Oostende have reportedly decided to make the 26-year-old central defender’s loan deal from Celtic permanent and could now sell him for a profit.
Leeds are claimed to be in the transfer market for a new centre-back and have identified Hendry as a potential target.
Now, some Leeds fans might wonder why the Whites reportedly want Hendry.
After all, the Scotland international did not make a massive impact at Celtic.
Yes, the 26-year-old has done well in Belgium, but, let’s face it, the Belgian league is not really one of the best around.
Perhaps the following comments from Leicester City manager Rodgers will explain why Leeds want Hendry.
It was Rodgers who signed the defender for Celtic from Dundee in February 2018.
As quoted on BBC Sport at the time, Rodgers said: “At 22 years of age, he’s 6ft 3in, he’s super quick and a good one v one defender.”
The former Liverpool boss added: “I think his potential is huge. That’s what I said to the board when I first saw him play, ‘this is a player I think can be a big player’.
“When you come to Celtic you have to deal with expectation and pressure. If he can deal with all those things then you’ve got a Scottish centre-half who has all the attributes of a top-class footballer.
“When he was a young player he was a right winger. He’s still developing as a player. I would have no hesitation of putting him in [the first team] because he is ‘game ready’ as well. He can fit very easily into how we work.”
Leeds are well stocked in defence.
Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Liam Cooper are quality players, but Gaetano Berardi is leaving.
Now, Pascal Struijk has done well for Leeds when asked to play in central defence, and the Whites did not really miss Berardi on the pitch this season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
