3 former Dundee FC stars heading for Euro 2024

Dundee may not have any current players heading to the Euros this summer – but there will be three former Dees in Germany.

Euro 2024 kicks off this Friday night with Scotland taking on hosts Germany in Munich.

Steve Clarke’s Scots will be hoping for a better start than their 1998 counterparts, who fell to defeat to world champions Brazil in the opening of the World Cup in France.

Jack Hendry

Among the squad will be one former Dee in Jack Hendry.

Hendry was largely unknown when he signed for Neil McCann’s Dundee in 2017.

He’d emerged in the first team at Partick Thistle but was quickly snapped up by Wigan Athletic where he spent time out on loan before exiting.

Dundee were waiting and Hendry made a major impact on McCann’s team, providing the ability to play out from defence.

Jack Hendry in action for Dundee in 2017.

Dundee started the season well with Hendry and Glen Kamara pulling the strings. The defender impressed Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, though, and Hendry’s time at Dens was short.

After arriving in July 2017, he was gone by January 2018 thanks to a club-record fee.

Dundee also benefited when Hendry left Celtic for Belgian side Oostende and then Club Brugge.

After a poor spell in Italy with Cremonese, Hendry signed for Saudi side Al-Ettifaq. Managed by Steven Gerrard, they finished sixth in the Saudi Pro League last season.

Hendry is aiming to add to his 31 international caps in Germany.

Morten Wieghorst

Another man who moved from Dens Park to Parkhead, Wieghorst is helping gear up Denmark for their Group C campaign.

Wieghorst is a Dundee Hall of Famer after three impressive years between 1992 and 1995.

Morten Wieghorst in action for Dundee. Image: SNS

A club-record fee was paid for the striding midfielder with £225,000 shelled out and he was an instant hit with a goal on his debut at St Johnstone.

Though relegation was suffered in 1994, Wieghorst was a hero in the run to the 1995 League Cup Final.

He also made his international debut while with the Dark Blues in 1994 and played in the final of the King Fahd Cup as Denmark won the precursor to the Confederations Cup in 1995. They beat an Argentina side that included Gabriel Batistuta, Javier Zanetti and Roberto Ayala 2-0.

Now 53, Wieghorst is Denmark’s assistant manager after being a manager in his own right at Nordsjaelland, AGF and AaB.

Denmark face Slovenia on Sunday before taking on England and Serbia in Group C.

Zurab Khizanishvili

A third former Dundee star gearing up for the Euros is former Rangers and Blackburn defender Zurab Khizanishvili.

The Georgian played a part in three seasons for the Dark Blues after arriving under strange circumstances in 2001.

Dundee's Zurab Khizanishvili chased down by Neil McCann of Rangers. Image: SNS — Dundee’s Zurab Khizanishvili chased down by Neil McCann of Rangers. Image: SNS

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was keen on the young defender but was put off by Lokomotiv Tblisi’s £7 million asking price.

Khizanishvili, though, was subsequently released and Dundee were the beneficiaries as Ivano Bonetti snapped him up while he was on trial at Fulham.

The defender played 51 times for the Dark Blues and he was named Scottish Football Writer’s Association Young Player of the Year in 2003 before moving to Rangers on a free.

He’d play for Blackburn in the Premier League, Newcastle and Reading in the Championship before spells with Kayserispor in Turkey, Dinamo Tblisi and Samtredia in Georgia and finally Inter Baku in Azerbaijan.