Forget Firhill for twirls – Hendry left PSG in a spin

FROM going round in circles at Firhill to almost running rings around Messi, Neymar and Mbappe. It’s been some journey for Jack Hendry.

We all remember that viral clip of the then Celtic defender spinning out of control in Maryhill in 2018.

Round and round he went as he desperately sought a green and white jersey to pass to. But he the more he spiralled, the more dizzy he became and it was not long before he was embarrassingly stripped of possession.

It was an image of a player struggling to get to grips with life at a major club and for many Celtic supporters it was proof Hendry did not have what it takes to make it at Parkhead.

Yet three years on and the same Jack Hendry has just doused the hottest frontline in world football with new side Club Brugge.

Forget Firhill for twirls, Hendry is back on the straight and narrow after helping the Belgians cause the shock of the opening round of Champions League fixtures as they held PSG to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.

It was former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera who gave the French giants their lead at the Jan Breydel Stadium as Messi’s first PSG appearance in UEFA’s top competition ended in a blank for their trio of superstars up top.

Brugge had to ride their luck at times, like when Messi smashed the bar with his only attempt of note, but it could also have been Hendry’s team snatching a win.

Only a last-ditch block from Abdou Diallo prevented the Scot from stealing the limelight as his goal-bound shot was diverted away second half after Hans Vanaken’s strike had sent the sides in level at the break.

It’s an astonishing turnaround for a player who was written off by many, especially when he was dispatched Down Under to Melbourne for the first six months of last year.

Things turned around when he took the chance to join Oostende after his return from Oz and the bold move paid off as he was named the best player in Belgian’s top flight after an impressive debut campaign.

But even that was not enough to win over those who had seen him struggle with Celtic. And the doubters were back out in force after his Hampden howler against the Czech Republic in Scotland’s Euro 2020 opener.

Yes he was daft to take on that long-range shot with his side exposed behind him but who could have expected Patrik Schick to ping one over David Marshall from 50

Clarke’s faith was restored ... Surely it’s time the rest of us gave the kid a break?

yards out? Hendry paid a heavy toll as he sat out the rest of the tournament.

But Steve Clarke’s faith was restored on the back of Hendry’s £3.5million switch to Brugge and he was as a starter in both of Scotland’s crucial World Cup qualifiers with Moldova and Austria.

Surely it’s time the rest of us gave the kid a break?

Some will claim it is revisionism to say Celtic made a mistake by failing to take him back over the summer. But he’s not the first player to reinvent himself in comfier surrounds and he couldn’t do any worse than Carl Starfelt managed in his first couple of months.

Football is a game of cycles. Right now it looks like it’s Hendry time to take a turn for the better.