Having faced up to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe there is very little that is now likely to faze Scotland star Jack Hendry.
The classy defender joined up with Steve Clarke’s squad full of confidence yesterday after an impressive start to life at Club Brugge, which has seen them go unbeaten in six games, claiming a Champions League win over RB Leipzig and a draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
The former Dundee star made his debut in the Champions League proper as he helped hold Messi and Co to a shock point.
Hendry also helped his side claim a draw against title rivals Anderlecht at the weekend and believes that already in his short time at Brugge he has stepped his game up a level.
So he is looking to take that into the Scotland set-up for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Israel and the Faroe Islands.
Hendry said: “It has been a great experience to play PSG and Leipzig.
“Playing against Messi, Neymar and Mbappe – the best front three you could come up against at this moment in world football.
“We played well and I felt we pretty much limited them. It was a great experience. Now I have had a taste of it, I want to keep playing at that level against top opposition.
“You just have to back yourself. I feel I could back myself with my pace and game experience if Mbappe or Neymar got in behind.
“I hope I backed that up in those two games. It is about keeping at that level.
“I know I still have a lot of progressing to do because in those two games I learned so much.
“I just need to keep learning to make myself the best player I can be. When I step on to the international stage it should also help me with Scotland.”
This weekend it might not be the same world famous names that Hendry and Scotland will be looking to shut out, but he knows how much of a threat Israel can be.
The old foes meet at Hampden yet again and a home win on Saturday would go a long way to the Scots sealing second spot in their World Cup qualifying group and booking a play-off slot.
Hendry knows talisman Eran Zahavi is massive for Israel and the PSV star will be the biggest threat to Scotland’s hopes.
He claimed: “I remember before the last game we were shown clips and Zahavi can score goals from anywhere.
“He is a very talented striker and a bit of a talisman for Israel. We know we will need to be concentrated and focused for the entire game.
“I’ve been to Israel twice and I know first-hand how good a team they are. They are well-drilled with a set formation and everybody knows their jobs, while they have genuine quality up front with Zahavi, Munas Dabbur, Shon Weissman and Manor Solomon. They have an abundance of quality in the final third and it will be a stiff test.”
Hampden will be a sell-out for Saturday night and it will be the first time Hendry has played in front of a capacity crowd for his country.
The Tartan Army made a late grab for tickets after the massive win in Austria and the former Celtic defender knows they could play a big part this weekend.
He said: “The fans are going to be extremely important. They always are in the home games. The supporters are back and with it being a sell-out they can be our 12th man and we will need them.
“To have the Scotland fans behind us is brilliant and Saturday could be really special. We know Israel are a top side, if you look at their individual qualities. They are not to be under-estimated, they beat Austria at home.
“They have a good squad and we know we will have to play well. It is great to see the game sell-out so quickly and we want to make it another special night.”
The game with Israel is Scotland’s biggest qualifier since the play-off final with Serbia, which sealed our place at Euro 2020.
Clarke’s side sit one point ahead of Israel so claiming a victory at Hampden this weekend and then away in the Faroes would put the squad in an excellent position ahead of the final run-in.
The last two qualifiers see the Scots head to Moldova before group leaders Denmark visit Hampden and Hendry said: “The Israel game is going to be massive and it would put us in pole position. We both know how each other plays and it should be an
interesting one – but hopefully the fans can help give us that edge.”
