Jack Hendry has revealed one of the biggest factors behind his move to Saudi Arabia was preparation for Euro 2024.
Scotland will automatically qualify next summer, with former Celtic defender Hendry set to play a key role. Europe’s best players will descend on Germany for what promises to be an unforgettable game, with the Tartans finding out who they will face in the group stages when Saturday’s draw is made.
Hendry says he is ready for the toughest draw since joining Etifaq from Club Brugge in the summer as he regularly faces world superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. After Friday night’s game against the Frenchman and Ronaldo a few weeks ago, when a video of Hendry with the Portugal hero went viral, he said: “By playing against good strikers, it will give me a better chance at the Euros. Good form. That was the plan and an important part of the trip to Saudi Arabia. A few weeks ago I played against Ronaldo in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
“Then last weekend I played against Benzema. So you can see there are top strikers in the league and I believe playing against them will keep me in good shape for the summer.
“When you go out there, it’s 11 on 11. Whoever you come up against, you’ve got to try and beat them — no matter who it is.
“I have the utmost respect for Ronaldo, he is one of the best players of all time, if not the greatest. It’s really good to play with him but when I go on the pitch I want to surpass him.
“These battles are part of football. As far as Scotland is concerned, we won’t back down from anyone. We will respect them but when we are on the pitch we want to stand out. Hopefully we can do that in Germany.”