Jack Hendry has massively rebuilt his reputation since leaving Celtic.
Arriving as a raw defender after an impressive six months at Dundee, Hendry wasn’t what Celtic needed him to be, and struggled in his performances.
He eventually left for Melbourne City on loan, but picked up a serious injury at the beginning of his time in Australia. Belgium’s KV Oostende eventually took a chance on him.
After an exceptional season, he earned a big-money move to Club Brugge, and found himself a regular in Steve Clarke’s Scotland side.
Now playing for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, Hendry has reflected on his move away and how important it has been for his career.
Jack Hendry on playing abroad since leaving Celtic
Hendry also spent time at Cremonese in Serie A, where many Scots currently ply their trade.
He now shares a dressing room with Gini Wijnaldum and Celtic hero Moussa Dembele in Saudi Arabia, where he was initially signed by Steven Gerrard.
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Photo by Abdul Ghani Bashir Issa/MB Media/Getty Images
Between that and 36 Scotland caps, a lot has changed since the days when he was unfancied at Celtic.
Speaking to the Herald in reflection of his recent career, Hendry said: “My experiences, I can only speak positively of them.
“I think me leaving Scotland at an early age was a big commitment and I was probably one of the first lads to do so and obviously a lot of lads have followed suit. It only brings you on leaps and bounds.
“The different coaching you get, it really helps and you learn a lot about the game. Things that you haven’t seen of the game beforehand being brought up in the UK.
“It can only help you as a player and obviously off the pitch it helps you grow up. With these lads getting these experiences it can only benefit the national team.
“For me, I’ve always spoken about it, I’ve touched on it, I think if anyone gets the opportunity to go abroad and have these types of experiences then I can only say that it should definitely be something that they should be taking.
“Then once you do it you need to properly buy into it and grasp it because for sure it will only help your career.
“I’ve embraced the country and the culture. I do really enjoy it out here [Saudi]. I’ve had numerous offers since I’ve been here and chosen to stay.
“My contract is up at the end of the season. They [Al-Ettifaq] are working behind the scenes to extend that or to put a proposal on the table that would make me stay longer.”
Ex-Celtic players to play in Saudi Arabia
Hendry and Dembele are certainly an interesting duo at Al-Ettifaq, but they aren’t the only ex-Celts to have been part of the recent Saudi boom.
Jota moved to Al-Ittihad in the same summer as N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, and it’s fair to say that his move there didn’t work out.
Another ex-Hoops defender, Jason Denayer, was most recently on the books at Al-Fateh and has also played in the UAE.
Ex-Celtic managers Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers have both been linked with the job at Al-Ahli, but for now, those remain just rumours.