No regrets over Jack Hendry exit, says Archibald
The Partick Thistle manager sold Hendry to Wigan in 2015
Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald has no regrets over letting Jack Hendry leave for Wigan so early in his career after seeing Dundee bank a club-record fee from Celtic.
Dundee reportedly received £1.5million for the defender - about six times the fee Wigan paid Thistle at the end of the 2015 summer transfer window on the back of just five first-team games.
The 22-year-old has been tipped for future Scotland honours along with his former Jags team-mate Liam Lindsay, who left for Barnsley last summer.
Archibald said: "I remember putting him and Liam in against Celtic when they were both 18 I think. I got a bit of stick for doing so but they acquitted themselves very well, and Jack went on to get a great move to Wigan.
"It was great for the club as well. We had a player who had played a handful of games and we would never have stepped in his way. At that time, we probably needed the money. Our gates were down I think and fixtures weren't too kind, so that money helped us.
"We knew Jack was available in the summer but we had just about got Niall (Keown) over the line so that's why we didn't go back in for him.
"His career probably stalled a little bit in terms of the loan moves he got down there but it shows there's a bit about the player that he believes in his own ability to come back up and have a wonderful season and earn a move to Celtic.''
While Celtic were scrambling to sign Hendry before the midnight deadline, Archibald had done all his business the previous week after signing Baily Cargill, although Milan Nitriansky departed.
"Thankfully it was quiet,'' Archibald said. "I was glad to be looking in from the outside.
"We had to scramble about when Jordan Turnbull left last week so I was glad we have got four or five players coming back from injury. I was able to go and watch Motherwell in peace. It was really strange.
"You are always wary of someone phoning for one of your players but I enjoyed not having deals falling flat on their face.'