Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers reveals his regrets over defender Jack Hendry

BRENDAN RODGERS has leapt to the defence of Jack Hendry, who he says has been thrust into the eye of the storm this season way ahead of schedule.

The Hoops centre-half has been widely criticised for a succession of high-profile mistakes this season, the latest of which came in his side’s 3-1 loss to Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday night.

Yet, while not attempting to dispute the fact the 23-year-old centre-half hasn’t had his problems to seek, the Celtic manager argues there have been mitigating circumstances.

“With Jack, in all fairness to him, I admire the fact that he never hides,” said Rodgers.

“He has been thrown into his career here at Celtic a lot sooner than I would have wanted.

“When I brought him in, it was to develop him and progress him.

“I wanted him to come in, be a support centre-half and get a feel for a huge club like Celtic.

“I wanted to improve him in his training, and develop him along that route.

“Instead, he’s had to come in and be thrown straight into it in a lot of big-pressure games.

“He trains every day. He is not one of those ones who’s looking for a way out.

“Yes, he has made mistakes. But he is a very honest boy, and someone I’ll always support to be the best he can be.

“Dedryck Boyata has been great. When he’s been fit, he’s been the consistent one.

“We have then had inconsistency in terms of availability.

“Jozo Simunovic has had an issue around injuries.

“But it’s very important, especially at this level, that you defend well as a team, not just the back four and goalkeeper.

“So Jack is a boy who has put himself in there. I’ve had to put him in sooner than I’d have liked.”

The good news, the Celtic boss argues, is that the player will reap the benefit of what has been a testing experience.

“Listen, it’s a great learning period for him,” he said.

“Jack joined us last year and was part of the team which won the Treble. Everything was great.

“But this is where you do a lot of your learning and development, and it’s ultimately where you’re measured – when all isn’t going so well.

“It’s all experiences. We all saw the potential when he was at Dundee, and how well he did there.

“Coming here, getting on in some games, affecting the game and progressing well was all good.

“Since the summer, he’s been thrown into some big games and that is something that wasn’t really a part of the plan for him.

“However, he has never backed away from it. It is something which will hold him in really good stead for the rest of his career.

“He’s a really good guy. He would be out training and working and, in time, he will show what a good player he is.

“That’s what tells you everything about the player.

“Sometimes in the modern game, you get players that can remove themselves out of that situation and they are not available.

“He has never, ever done that – ever – whether it’s training or games. He is honest, he knows he can make mistakes but he’s learning in a tough school where wins are important.

“I’m pretty confident he will grow from this, and show he’s a good player.”

The former Liverpool manager is likewise confident Celtic can bounce back as a team in this afternoon’s trip to McDiarmid Park to face St Johnstone.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re used to playing important games after European ties,” he said.

“We have shown an ability to refocus and win our next game.

“We know it will be tough but if we play with the intensity that we did in the second half at Perth, it gives us a much better opportunity.”