Archie backing Hendry

Alan Archibald has tipped Jack Hendry to fight his way back into contention at Celtic.

The stopper was signed from Dundee in January 2018 but has struggled when given game time and hasn’t yet played under new boss Neil Lennon.

But Archibald handed the 23-year- old his first taste of senior football as Partick Thistle gaffer and insists Hendry has the mentality to bounce back.

He said: “I’d back Jack to regain his form and get in the Celtic team.

“Pre-season has come at a good time for him because it has given him a chance to reflect. He’s had to settle in to life as a Celtic player which is tough.

“One of Jack’s biggest assets is his self-confidence but sometimes that goes against him. Because he has so much confidence, he never hides from the ball. Sometimes at a big club like Celtic, it’s better to not take the ball when you’re struggling.

“A good player knows to avoid taking the ball for five minutes when they’re under pressure.

“I have no doubt that he’s capable of getting back in the side.”

Hendry burst on to the scene with the Jags and quickly earned a lucrative move to Wigan.

Two- and- a- half years later the defender sealed a dream £1.5million move to his boyhood heroes.

And Archibald always believed he could make an impact at a big club.

Archibald said: “He always had that confidence in his ability. I’d tell him that if he just kept his feet on the ground he’d get his chance.

“He has come back from disappointments in his career before and I’m under no doubt he can recover from it at Celtic.”