The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Mini Messi will keep ‘rivals’ on their toes
Ex-dee star on coping with injury setbacks
Stuart Armstrong has admitted that the impressive form of old Dundee United team-mate Ryan Gauld will help keep him on his toes as the battle to secure an attacking midfielder place in the Scotland squad intensifies ahead of Euro 2020.
Gauld has been a big hit with Farense on their return to the Portuguese top flight this season, scoring seven goals, one of which was voted the best in Primeira Liga for February.
It wasn’t enough to earn ‘Mini Messi’ a call-up for the national team for the World Cup qualifiers that begin tomorrow.
But he got a name-check from boss Steve Clarke, and Southampton regular Armstrong knows that the competition to play for Scotland in the summer finals will be fierce, with the likes of Gauld and Celtic’s David Turnbull on the fringes of selection.
“It goes without saying,” said the 28-yearold. “Everyone knows the quality around the Scotland team and even the guys who aren’t here. Ultimately, you need to play well for your clubs. When you are here you need to impress, you need to perform and have a good impact on the squad.
“We have got strong squad depth, especially in the midfield areas. There are no illusions for the guys who are here. We are grateful to be here and will try to take our chance when it comes. The manager is well aware of the quality he cannot pick which must be a tough decision for him.”
Armstrong stressed that getting the World Cup campaign off to a flier against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands is the only focus in the Scotland camp this week, not the European Championships.
Jack Hendry played just three games in 2019-20, but turning out for Scotland at the Euro 2020 finals was one of his pre-season goals.
The defender could now play his way into contention after joining up with Steve Clarke’s squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands.
The former Dundee player made three Scotland appearances in 2018 after joining Celtic earlier in that year. But 2019 brought just two Celtic appearances, and a loan move to Melbourne City in January 2020 quickly turned sour when he suffered a knee injury two matches in.
Hendry has since rejuvenated his career on loan at Oostende, who sit fourth in the Belgian top flight, and his Euro 2020 dream is firmly in sight.
“One of my goals at the start of the season was to achieve something like that and hopefully I’m on the right road to do that,” the 25-year-old said.
“Coming off a difficult time for myself, I had to back myself to go out and do the business. Thankfully I have been given an opportunity in Belgium to showcase my talent. I still have a long way to go to reach my full potential but I feel I am on the right course.
“I feel it shows a lot about my mentality, coming back from setbacks, going out to an unknown club and coming back strong. Hopefully that shows a lot about my character.
“For me, the biggest achievement in my career so far was pulling on the Scotland jersey, so it’s something I am desperate to do again.”
Hendry feels he has become a better player and person through coping with major setbacks.
“There’s been a couple,” he said. “Coming off the back of Celtic where I wasn’t playing so much, had a couple of niggly injuries, maybe thinking I could have been playing and getting that fair crack of the whip. It just didn’t pan out at times.
“I tried to go to Australia, just to get away from everything, be in a good environment, get my mojo back, and two weeks out there I did my medial ligament.
“I was thinking ‘is this injury going to define my career?’ I just thought ‘I really need to focus here and come back and show people what I’m made of ’.
“I used that time to work on my body, to work mentally, and come back all guns blazing. Thankfully it’s paying off.
“If you spoke to anyone in Belgium, they would see me as that kind of leader in the dressing room and a good person hopefully.”
Hendry has been playing in the centre of a back three for Oostende and feels the formation, which Clarke has recently employed for Scotland, suits him.
“I feel I have developed in these last six months in Belgium,” he added.
“First and foremost I have games under my belt consistently, coming off the back of a couple of years when I didn’t play so much. With the games you learn so much.
“And if you look at the Belgian league, there are some top teams in it. And even the teams you might not know, they have good quality forward players.
“Playing against international strikers helps coming into a squad like this. I am used to playing at that level and I feel I can go further.
“We have the third best defence in Belgium and for that team it’s a massive achievement. Defensively I am more solid, my reading of the game, my confidence on the ball, but first and foremost as a defender you need to defend, and I feel I have shown that.
“I feel I have competed at a real good level against top strikers and if anyone who has watched those games, they can see how good a defender I can be.”
Oostende have an option to buy Hendry this summer but need to agree personal terms, and he could yet remain a Celtic player.
Hendry refused to look beyond his next game but, reflecting on his time at Parkhead, he said: “First and foremost, you have got to look at yourself, and what you could have done better.
“There are obviously external factors that might come into play. But I am just looking forward now.
“If I was to get an opportunity of that stature again, I would be ready to thrive in an environment like that.”