IT wasn’t quite love at first sight, but as soon as Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers laid eyes on Jack Hendry, he knew that the 22-year-old was a player.

Released by Celtic as a youth, it took Hendry a little time to convince others of his talent. A breakthrough into the first-team at Partick Thistle paved the way for a move to Wigan Athletic, but last summer he returned north to Dundee - not exactly with his tail between his legs, but certainly chastened by his experience in England.

For Hendry though, opportunity was about to knock. A trip to Celtic Park as part of a visiting defence isn’t always an experience to savour, but Hendry grasped his moment in the limelight to turn in an impressive display despite his side’s narrow defeat on the day, and in those 90 minutes, he convinced Brendan Rodgers that he was ready-made for Celtic.

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“From the first time seeing him close up, I said right after the game to the scouts and the board that he’s a player,” Rodgers said. “He’s perfect for us.

“He played in the game that we won 1-0 on the outside of a back three, and he was exceptional. Then going back and watching the game again, he was very good.

“I didn’t know of him at all until he played against us at Parkhead. I’d seen videos of him leading up to us playing them, and I obviously knew he wasn’t at Dundee the year before.

“You very quickly see that he has speed and technique, and these are the attributes that I like in my team.”

On Hendry’s Twitter profile page, somewhat surprisingly you may think, is an image of him strutting his stuff in a Wigan strip. But then your eyes settle on his opponent in the red of Liverpool, a certain Philip Coutinho, a player of course who Celtic manager Rodgers knows well.

No one is jumping to the conclusion that Hendry will improve enough to one day follow in the Brazilian superstar’s footsteps all the way to the Camp Nou, but Rodgers senses an encouraging hunger to better himself inside the young centre-back that bodes well for his future in the game.

“There are areas that he will improve in and he will understand the game better, but at 22, he’s at a great age to learn,” Rodgers said.

“And he is a learner. He’s very hungry to be the best that he can possibly be, and the environment here will help him to do that. Let’s see where that takes him.

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“It’s opportunity for players. I think that Jack isn’t the norm for a Scottish centre-half. If you are looking at international qualities and top-level qualities, then he has all of those, but sometimes players like that don’t get an opportunity. If they have a personality and a profile to go with that, then it’s just about opportunity.

“Since we were able to do the deal with Dundee, he’s come in and settled in really well here. He knows that he’s still got a lot to improve upon, but the beauty with Jack is that he’s still very hungry to learn, and he’s in the perfect environment to do that.”

And just as Celtic will benefit from Hendry flourishing, so too will Scotland. Rodgers was thrilled to see Hendry make his international bow against Hungary on Tuesday night, and was even more pleased when he saw how his young charge handled the occasion.

“I thought he was outstanding in the game,” he said. “He has all the attributes to be an international footballer. If you’re going to play in a high-tempo style you’ve got to have good technique, have an idea of the game tactically, physically be able to run, have speed, be dynamic and mentally have the composure to play and defend.

“So, for his first game I thought he was absolutely fabulous and showed real promise for going forward.

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“My reason for bringing him here was I believe he can develop into a top-class player. He made one tackle in the game that I’m not sure many Scottish centre-halves could make because he was quick, the speed to get across the ground and cover was absolutely brilliant.

“He needs coaching, he needs developing but, of course, he needs opportunity. He has all the attributes, he’s six-foot-three, he’s quick and can play.

“He done very, very well, as did [Scott] McKenna. I thought he was excellent as well, so there’s promise there for Scotland.”

Whether Rodgers’s pleasure at seeing Hendry excel in a Scotland jersey has whetted his appetite any to see him repeat the feat in the friendlies against Peru and Mexico, this summer remains to be seen.

“I spoke briefly to Alex [McLeish], not in great length,” he said. “Everyone recognises it’s not an ideal trip, for the end of the season and also where it is and the opponents.

“I’m not sure commercially it’s the best, I’d be surprised if they’re making any money on it, which would at least be a reason to go the other side of the world to play.

“I spoke briefly on it to him in private, but we’ll see what happens between now and the end of the season.”

Rodgers and Celtic were handed a boost meanwhile with the news that striker Leigh Griffiths will be available for tomorrow’s match against Ross County at Celtic Park, with Patrick Roberts also in contention to start the game. Kieran Tierney will however be given a little extra time to recover from the calf injury that kept him out of Scotland’s friendly double-header against Costa Rica and Hungary.

“Kieran won’t be ready for the weekend, it’ll be midweek or the following weekend,” said Rodgers. “Sometimes, a manufactured break can work well, he’s just feeling some tightness.”