Scotland's Jack Hendry stopped Messi, Mbappe and Neymar scoring - now he's ready for Erling Haaland

Centre-back has tested himself against the world’s best and lived to tell a rather enthralling tale.

When you’ve stood up to Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar and stopped them scoring, very little in world football can faze you. Erling Haaland is literally a different animal altogether, but the Scotland defender Jack Hendry is ready for the challenge of shackling Norway’s supreme goalscoring machine.

Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifying tie in Oslo presents national coach Steve Clarke with a defensive dilemma given Grant Hanley’s injury. Does he deploy Ryan Porteous, Hendry and Kieran Tierney as his three-man back line? Or, fitness permitting, does he try to incorporate John Souttar?

Hendry is up for the task against Haaland, the treble-winning Champions League victor who lashed a record-breaking 53 goals in 54 games for Manchester City in his first year in English football. The Club Brugge centre-back is not perturbed by those statistics. He boasts top-level European and international tournament experience of his own at the age of 28. He also successfully stifled the Paris Saint-Germain superstars of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar in a Champions League game for Brugge in September 2021.

It is an evening which endures in Hendry’s memory bank as the Belgian side secured a 1-1 draw, with all three household names failing to score. He encountered perhaps the best footballer he has faced so far that night in Mbappe, with some valid comparisons to be drawn between the Frenchman and Haaland.

“Probably Mbappe is the best I’ve come up against,” said Hendry. “Just due to the fact he has lots of pace and likes to ride in behind and has that sharp turn of pace. If you were to compare them, maybe Mbappe, just due to the speed. Haaland is similar, very explosive. He scores a lot of his goals in the penalty box so maybe he is a wee bit different in that respect to Mbappe, who likes to cut inside a bit more from the wing and sometimes plays on the wing.”

The exact tactics Hendry and Brugge devised to stop three of the globe’s most potent forwards remain trade secrets. “I think at that level it’s just about concentration levels and anticipating things with movement and touches, and trying to match them physically as well,” said the player, who enjoyed a loan spell in Serie A with Cremonese earlier this season. “I think that I’ve obviously got the physical attributes to play at that level and compete, so if I’m called upon on Saturday then we’ll see how I do.

“I relish playing against these kind of guys and I’ll do everything in my power to get the best of him [Haaland]. I’m extremely motivated, and what could be better than testing yourself against the best? For me, I back myself, and I’m sure all the other lads will back themselves as well.

Jack Hendry is hoping to play from the start for Scotland against Norway.

“If I am called upon, I will relish the opportunity. These are the type of players as footballers you always want to play against. His record this season speaks for itself. It is obviously amazing what he has achieved this season but why can’t Scotland stop him? At the end of the day, there is nothing to say we can’t. A lot of people have tried to this season and haven’t managed it. We have got nothing to lose in a way and that’s the mindset we go into it with. He is going to be an extremely important player for them but we are more than capable of believing we can stop him.”

Haaland’s attributes are plentiful and Hendy will study them intricately. He is physical specimen, with a gigantic 6ft 4in frame, long powerful limbs and pace to frighten any opponent. Hendry is no smurf or slouch, though, and is entitled to feel he can match the Norwegian. “From a personal point of view, I won’t change the way I analyse him compared to any other striker. I prepare the exact same way, it doesn’t matter the name,” he said.

“I will look at his strengths and any weaknesses. There’s a whole list I can go through. For example, where he scores his goals is pretty obvious – it has all been in amongst the 18-yard-box. He is a real lethal striker with good movement. Your concentration levels need to be extremely high and he is very good at anticipating things. We just need to be as alert as possible throughout the 90 minutes. No lapse of concentration. We just need to give it our best shot.”

Champions League outings with Brugge will stand the player in good stead for this assignment in the Ullevaal Stadion. “I played against Manchester City twice last season. For me they were the best team in the world that I have ever played against,” explained Hendry. “Just due to their movement and understanding of the game. I obviously played against PSG last season as well. They were more individuals but as a team collectively Man City were really good.

“Haaland was not there then and they played with a false nine, so it might have been slightly different this season when they have tended to go a bit longer. With that experience it only gives you more confidence playing on this stage. Those games helped me massively and I managed to play in the last-16 this season. Unfortunately, I picked up an injury shortly afterwards. These sorts of stages only help you grow as a footballer and gain confidence, knowing you can compete at that level and play against the best.”