Jack Hendry is worried that he may never play for Celtic again, according to Football Insider.
The 6’2″ defender [Transfermarkt] came close to joining Kilmarnock as part of the deal that took Greg Taylor to Parkhead over the summer, as per the same outlet, but that agreement fell through at the eleventh hour.
And now it is understood that Hendry is concerned he will remain frozen out of the first team picture until the January transfer window, having failed to appear so far this season.
Does Hendry have a future at Celtic?
Honestly, you’d be surprised if the answer was yes.
Having failed to make an appearance so far this season, the signs aren’t too promising, and the fact that even Lennon himself has suggested it will be “difficult” for Hendry to play his way back into the side, as reported in the Scottish Sun, would seemingly illustrate just how far away he is from a first team spot.
At 24, Hendry should be aiming to play regular senior football, and the fact that he isn’t will surely be a concern for the player.
More worrying still will be the extent to which he appears to be off the pace in comparison to other, comparable members of Lennon’s squad.
This season, for example, Christopher Jullien, who arrived from Toulouse over the summer, has won 6.56 defensive duels per match, 75% of those he has faced, as per Wyscout.
By contrast, taking the most recent stats from Hendry’s career, the Scottish international averaged just 4.56 defensive duels won per game last season, which equates to just 66.1% of those he faced [Wyscout].
On that evidence, the gap between Hendry and the players who Lennon has at his disposal in the first team seems broad, and factoring in the boss’ own admission that Hendry is some way off the starting lineup, things don’t look too promising for the 24-year-old.