Why Celtic sending Jack Hendry on loan is a right move by the club
According to BBC, out-of-favour Celtic defender Jack Hendry has signed a one-year loan deal with Belgian outfit KVV Oostende.
A report from Daily Record claims that Hendry opted for a loan move to the Belgian top-flight in the hope of reviving his once-promising career following a horrendous loan spell at Melbourne City last season.
Hendry, who joined Celtic from rivals Dundee for £1m in January 2018 under then-manager Brendan Rodgers had a good start to his life at Parkhead.
However, he fell down the pecking order the subsequent season and hardly got a look-in into the team under new boss Neil Lennon, who replaced Rodgers in February last year.
Moreover, the arrival of centre-back Christopher Jullien last summer from Toulouse put him even further down the list of defenders at Celtic Park. Hence, they decided to send him on loan to Melbourne City in January.
Hendry, who looked like a surplus to requirements at Celtic, however, suffered a major setback in Australia as in only his second A-League appearance, he suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery .
First-team opportunities rare for Hendry at Celtic
Meanwhile, manager Lennon has mostly preferred with his defensive pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Jullien last season and the two centre-backs have played a key role in helping them grab their ninth successive league title.
That said, and also with Celtic having as many as four defenders in the side apart from him, first-team opportunities seem to be even more rare for Hendry at the moment. In such a situation, a loan move for Hendry to a top-flight Belgian side like Oostende seems like a wise move by the club as it will offer him more game time and help him prove his potential once again.
It will also ready him for the upcoming challenges at Celtic Park, thereby, helping him get back his career on track. Thus, a loan move for Hendry, is, by all means, a win-win situation for both the parties involved.
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Verdict
At the moment, Celtic have enough back-up in their defensive department, and letting go of Hendry will not hurt the side badly next season. By offering him a loan deal Celtic are also giving him an opportunity to prove himself once more which he would have found it difficult, had he chosen to stay back at Parkhead.
Moreover, he is just 25 and has plenty of football left in him. A strong season would help him rediscover his mojo, following which he can be an asset to Celtic in the years to come. Thus, the club have made the right call by loaning him out.
