Celtic centre-back Jack Hendry has revealed he has had a “tough time” dealing with the criticism that has come his way over the past six months.

The 23-year-old has been part of a defence that has leaked goals in recent times, and the Scottish international said it has been a challenge coping with all the negativity:

“It has been a tough time at club level for me personally but I always think that they make you stronger as a player and as a person.”

“I am always looking for feedback on my performances whether that is from games or in training but I am always looking to improve.”

“It has probably been the steepest learning curve of my career over the last six months. Every touch, every pass, every move gets analysed at Celtic so that is something that I have had to learn from.”

Hendry has played 12 times in all competitions this season, but he has already had a knee injury which kept him out for a number of weeks.

On his return to fitness, he featured in the 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock and the 1-0 win against Aberdeen. He also started the Europa League fixture against Red Bull Salzburg in the 3-1 loss.

Following the chastening defeat, he was not selected in the matchday squad for the 6-0 win over St Johnstone in the club’s last league match.

Dedryk Boyata, Jozo Simunovic and Filip Benkovic are vying for a starting place along with Hendry for the game against Hibernian at Celtic Park on Saturday.