Celtic midfielder Ewan Henderson is seemingly set to leave Parkhead for Hibernian during the January transfer window.
The lowdown
Celtic have told Henderson he’s free to go this month, rather than waiting until the summer when his £3,300-per-week contract expires.
Should he join Hibernian, he would link up not only with former Celtic coach Shaun Maloney, but also with his brother Liam.
21-year-old Henderson has made 11 appearances in total for Celtic but only one of those has come this season, and that was in the Europa League dead-rubber against Real Betis.
The latest
Patrick McPartlin of the Edinburgh Evening News reports that ‘progress [is] being made’ in Hibs’ pursuit of Henderson.
Clubs in Italy are also said to be interested, but Hibs are leading the race and are hopeful of wrapping up the move in advance of the Scottish Premiership’s resumption on 17 January.
The verdict
Ange Postecoglou doesn’t look to have much use for Henderson. Prior to the winter break, he included him in his matchday squad on just six occasions.
It’s hard to argue he’s a valued member of the roster, and so it’s probably best for both parties that he moves on.
Henderson did grab his opportunity when it was presented to him, netting what Pat Bonner called an ‘incredible’ goal against Betis, but it’s clearly made little difference to his situation in Glasgow, and the move feels like a win win all-round.
In other news, Noel Whelan reacts to two big Celtic developments.