From Melbourne misery to Messi and Man City
Scotland’s Jack Hendry is shining for Bruges in the Champions League after a bleak spell Down Under
HE KEPT Lionel Messi quiet on his Champions League debut, has pushed Scotland to within a whisker of the World Cup play-offs, and hopes to spring an upset against Manchester City.
Yet just over a year ago, Bruges defender Jack Hendry could have been forgiven for thinking he would never see days like these.
Crying in pain, thousands of miles from home, Hendry was alone in his Australian apartment nursing a torn medial ligament in his knee.
He had been man of the match in his first game for Melbourne City, on loan from Celtic, and the second game was going similarly well when, in the 96th minute, he made a tackle. His knee caught in the long, dry grass but his body carried on sliding. The ‘sickening pop’ he heard told him how bad the injury would be.
Now, barely 19 months on, Hendry, 26, is at Bruges and being hailed as one of the best defenders in Belgium.
He was lauded for his performance against Messi’s Paris SaintGermain in a 1-1 draw and takes on Manchester City tonight.
‘It’s crazy to think where I am now compared to that time in Australia,’ Hendry tells Sportsmail.
‘In those first days after the injury, I couldn’t even bear putting weight on my leg to go to the toilet or to get a drink of water, the pain reduced me to tears.
‘I just wanted someone there to help me, I felt so alone, so far away from my family.
‘It was the darkest of times but probably one of the best things for me to go through in a crazy sort of way. I’m a more mature person after the adversity.’
The 6ft 4in Hendry has nothing but praise for the way Melbourne, part of the City Football Group, reacted to help him through his recuperation.
Such was his recovery, five months later Celtic put him out on another loan to Oostende. By the end of that season, he was voted best player in Belgium, prompting Bruges to sign him on deadline day.
‘I didn’t understand why I didn’t get more chances at Celtic but coming to Belgium has proved a good decision,’ says Hendry, who shares a city-centre apartment with girlfriend and psychology student, Robyn. ‘I’m at a very important club in Bruges. It’s a great environment with lovely people and I’m competing in the Champions League against teams of the calibre of PSG, RB Leipzig and Manchester City.’
Well-educated, Hendry has immersed himself in Bruges’s rich, medieval history, has ‘picked up a bit of French and Dutch’ and is threatening to give goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, once of Liverpool and Sunderland, a lesson or two in golf, another sport he could have turned his hand to. ‘Simon has been great for me,’ he added. ‘He’s been offering to take me for a round of golf by the coast.’
Mignolet isn’t the only standout name in Bruges’s talented squad. Midfielder Hans Vanaken and winger Noa Lang are being watched by clubs such as West Ham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds.
Bruges were still viewed as the whipping boys of Group A but they have surprised everyone with a credible 1-1 draw against PSG and a 2-1 win over Leipzig.
Indeed, Hendry’s Champions League bow came against the fantasy-league frontline of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
‘It’s unusual to come up against three players of such ability in the one team but our coach was great in the build-up,’ says Hendry. ‘He just said, “They’re human, they have two arms, two legs. Don’t be afraid, you can compete”.’
It meant his focus needed to be all the sharper against PSG’s front three. ‘I’d be picking up Mbappe trying to match his runs on my side one minute then Messi the next,’ he added.
‘They didn’t talk to each other much, they play instinctively, interchanging, dropping off then running behind you. It’s not so much physically exhausting, it’s the mental part because you can’t switch off for a second. It’s an education to see how they work up close.’
Although a confessed fan of the trio, Hendry did not want to be seen making a beeline for their shirts afterwards. He says: ‘As much as I would have liked one, I don’t like seeing players chase after a shirt.
‘I waited until I got in the dressing room then asked the kit man if he could find a swap for me.
‘He came back with Ander Herrera’s shirt which was still great. Though he actually scored PSG’s goal on the night.’
Hendry is hoping he can pick up more than just a shirt as a memento from the clash with City tonight. ‘City are probably the best team in the world,’ he says. ‘It’s the collective force. They have a great hunger for this competition too.
‘We have to be positive and try to spring an upset. These kinds of games are the main reason I came to Bruges, I could only dream about them in Australia.’