FORMER Celtic defender Jack Hendry has had his season-long loan at Serie A strugglers Cremonese cut short.
The 27-year-old Scotland international centre-back, who cost £1.2million when Brendan Rodgers bought him from Dundee in January 2018, has been returned to Club Brugge.
The Italian outfit decided against taking up the purchase option on the temporary contract and, instead, have sent him back to Belgium – after just TWO league appearances.
The club are anchored to the foot of the top flight with only eight points after 19 games.
ON THE BALL…Jack Hendry in control during one of his rare-first-team games for Celtic.
Hendry, who had 30 outings for the Hoops, left for KV Oostende after a successful loan period before moving in a £5million deal to Brugge in August 2021.
The former Partick Thistle and Wigan star, who can also play right-back, has been capped 21 times by Scotland.
Hendry will now be working in Belgium with former Fulham and Bournemouth boss Scott Parker who took over the Belgian outfit last month. They lost 3-1 to leaders Genk on his debut and last season’s title winners are currently in fifth place.
Speaking about his Italian experience, the central defender told the Scottish Sun: “I’ve been really unfortunate with things that have been out of my control so far. I haven’t clicked into top gear on the pitch yet because of little things, like the injury I suffered away with Scotland.
“I’m still adjusting to life in Italy on and off the park. The manager doesn’t speak English, either, so I’m trying to learn Italian as quickly as I can. It’s important I do that to immerse myself in the culture as much as I can.
“I just need a run of games to get my levels up and to bring a real consistency to my game. I know the club has put a lot of faith in me and it’s been hard, especially with my injuries and the team fighting to find their feet in Serie A.”
