Celtic loanee hailed as one of the best in the league

The Celtic loanee has been hailed as “one of the best defenders in the league” and it looks like he deserved more chances at Parkhead.

It is no secret that Celtic have made a poor start to their season. The Hoops are already out of Europe as well as the League Cup and find themselves chasing the Rangers in the Premiership. As things stand, they sit 11 points behind their Glasgow rivals and the two games that they have in hand is their only saving grace at the moment.

One of the biggest worries for the Hoops this season has been their defence. Shane Duffy was brought in on a season-long loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in order to add solidity to the backline but has had the opposite effect. The Republic of Ireland defender has looked like a mistake waiting to happen at times and currently finds himself out of the first-team as rumours have emerged that he might be sent back in January itself.

One Celtic defender who has continued to prosper this season is Jack Hendry. Unfortunately that has happened away on loan at Belgian side KV Oostende. And his manager Alexander Blessin seems to be very impressed by the Scot, hailing him as one of the best defenders in the league.

As reported by Daily Record, he said:

"“When I speak to Jack, I don’t understand a word he says,” the German gaffer joked. “But his team mates do because he’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him.“He’s been a tower of experience for us. Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league.”"

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Currently, Celtic have the aforementioned Duffy, Christopher Jullien, Kristoffer Ajer, Nir Bitton, Stephen Welsh and Hatem Abd Elhamed capable of featuring at centre-back. None of them have particularly impressed this season though.

As a result, you have to wonder whether Hendry could have done a job if he was still at the club. It is unlikely that he would have gotten many chances though considering the fact that he made just 27 appearances in his two-and-a-half seasons at Parkhead. And it was the right move for him to go out on loan in order to play some regular minutes and further his career.

It does beg the question though whether he deserved more chances for the Hoops. Judging by his performances this season, he could have actually become a mainstay in this Celtic backline, which has appeared shaky even on their best day.