Belgian media report former Celts incredible transfer claim

The Jack Hendry story was one really irked me this summer.

Clearly struggling to make an impact at Celtic, the Scotland defender was farmed out on loan to Melbourne City where, after only two appearances, a torn ligament injury hampered his opportunities.

Hendry then moved onto to KV Oostende where he arguably enjoyed his richest vein of form. So much so that he earned a move to the Belgians who then quickly sold him on to the Juliper League champions Club Brugges.

It certainly has a fairy-tale touch to it, but Hendry’s story could have been so much different.

In an interview with Gazette van Antwerpen, Hendry lifted the lid on how he could have been plying his trade at Manchester City in the EPL, “It could have been. They (Manchester City) had scouted me for the role of John Stones,”

“When I was young, I was often compared to him. When I was eighteen, Everton wanted me to succeed Stones.

“Ultimately, that transfer did not happen, but I went to Wigan.

“There, the chairman said that they had taken revenge on Everton for missing out on Stones. Stones has haunted me all my life.”

Hendry has been enjoying the adulation of the Belgian media since his big money move to Brugges, but was found wanting last night as Manchester City tore the Belgian champions apart 5-1 at home in the Champions League.

Maybe now we will see if Hendry can hack it at a club that demands winning football like Celtic fans did.

It is a completely different ball game playing for teams that are expected to win week in, week out, than middle of the road clubs like Dundee and Oostende.

I hope I am proved wrong, but we will see in due course what Hendry is made of as the season progresses.