Former Dundee defender Jack Hendry has opened up on the bout of glandular fever which left him fighting for his career — during a brief spell on the books of Dundee United.
Hendry was a fresh-faced teenager when he penned a short-term deal at Tannadice, seeking to bounce back after being plagued by growing pains during stints at Celtic and Peterborough United.
However, things went from bad to worse at United when he was rendered bed-bound for several months, ultimately resulting in him leaving the club.
“I came back up the road to Dundee United,” Hendry told the Scots Abroad podcast. “It was a place to train and keep fit until I could figure out where I wanted to go next in my career.
“They told me they wanted me to stay and sign a contract and I thought: ‘Why not?’ It’s a good set up, I would play games.
“I wasn’t there that long when I caught glandular fever. That knocked me sideways.
“I was in my bed for three, four or five months. That was a really difficult time for me. I had no energy and I was thinking ‘is football really for me?’
“Physically, I was already having a difficult time and now this? I felt the world was against me.
“But, at the same time, it can make you mentally stronger and I feel like at that moment I rolled my sleeves up and said: ‘I’m going to have a real go at this’.”
Dundee redemption
Hendry’s rise is a success story.
He went on to shine for Partick Thistle, earning a switch to Wigan Athletic and, although Hendry struggled for minutes with the Latics, that opened the door for his move to Dundee in 2017.
Hendry cites the subsequent eight months as pivotal in his development, with boss Neil McCann helping to craft him into a player who would go onto join Celtic and represent Scotland at Euro 2020.
“I loved every minute at Dundee and Neil McCann really got the best out of me,” said Hendry, now stand-in captain of KV Oostende. “The way he wanted to play really suited my game.
“It was the first time that I really had that proper run of games under my belt and I came on so much.
“Neil was invested in me, saw the ability and knew how to nurture it.
“If you made a mistake, he wouldn’t care. He’d ask you to try the same thing again. That was great for me because it gave me confidence — I knew the manager had my back.”
Hendry added: “I still stay in contact with Neil today about various things because I think his understanding of the game is very good and I like listening to how he talks about football. He is a good person to lean on.”