Jeff Hendrick M Free agent b.1992

[Charlie Darwin]

There doesn't seem to be a thread on the 19-year-old Derby midfielder.

Nigel Clough is ready to offer him a new contract (http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_7236687,00.html) in response to interest from Aston Villa and West Brom.

[bwagner]

He,Scannel and Gunning all pull out with injuries for the under 21s win last week yet all played for their clubs Saturday.

[tetsujin1979]

It was Liechenstein, probably for the best not to risk an injury.

[tetsujin1979]

Derby to offer Hendrick new deal to ward off interest from Wolves, West Brom and Fulham: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Transfer-gossip-Wolves-West-Brom-and-Fulham-are-all-watching-Jeff-Hendrick-the-Derby-midfielder-article814426.html

[Stuttgart88]

Saw young Jeff in the flesh , so to speak, earlier today. I was up in Derby on business and popped into Westfield for a sandwich. Jeff and Frank Fielding (Derby and England U21 keeper I think) were signing autographs in JD Sports for an hour - a pre-arranged publicity thing. Huge crowds were in the queue actually, easily about a hundred at any time.

Pointless post but who cares.

[Kingdom]

Did you get a kiss?

[Stuttgart88]

Nah, he was surrounded by security. Wasn't worth the risk. Robbie Brady maybe.

[DeLorean]

Got motm in the English Sun's report on the Derby-Palace match at the weekend. They also added the comment 'Good enough for the Republic of Ireland'.

[Crosby87]

Good enough for Ireland right now?

[DeLorean]

Good enough for Ireland right now?

No idea, that was a direct quote and they didn't add to it. Presume they just mean he's good enough to be in the squad or will be good enough to start for us in time. He also got into the npower Championship team of the week. Sometimes players performances are blown up a bit just because they got on the scoresheet so I wouldn't read too much into it. Does look a decent prospect though.

[Yard of Pace]

What kind of a midfielder is Hendrick? I've never seen him play.

[Charlie Darwin]

Hard-tackling and a good passer of the ball. Likes to get involved around the box but mainly hangs back and lets others bomb on. I suppose in a similar mold to Whelan but I'd say with the potential to be a better player.

[DeLorean]

He reminds me more of Owen Garvan but with a lot more aggression. I've only seen both players a handful of times mind you. Hopefully his career will progress more positively than Garvan's.

[Carrigaline]

He reminds me more of Owen Garvan but with a lot more aggression. I've only seen both players a handful of times mind you. Hopefully his career will progress more positively than Garvan's.
Have to disagree with you on that. Owen Garvan is most like Keith Fahey, except just not as good. Garvan hasn't been helped by the fact that he hasn't been played in a team that have suited his abilities since Jim Magilton was sacked from Ipswich back in 2009. Also, his experience with Roy Keane since then probably knocked his confidence and unfortunately, I think he later made a mistake choosing to play with Crystal Palace over Brighton.

Pro's:
Both are comfortable and tidy on the ball.
Both can take a good set piece.
Both have an eye for a quality pass.

Con's:
Neither player has any pace.
Neither player is fond of getting stuck in with a good tackle.
Neither player has the athleticism to be a box-to-box midfielder.

Hendrick on the other hand is much more of an all-rounder. Unlike Garvan, he isn't afraid to put in a challenge or get into an aerial battle to win a ball. He will work hard, isn't afraid to chase back to defend an attack. I would actually say Hendrick is more like a Keith Andrews, as in he's determined, he can get forward as well as defend, plus and he works hard.

Whelan is probably most comparable to James McCarthy. Both have been our most defensive players playing league football this season; good work rate, putting themselves about, not getting too far forward and keeping the passing simple and direct.

[Carrigaline]

Hendrick got MOTM and an assist for a goal this weekend for Derby County, a great athletic run to the byline before he whipped in a cross for Bryson to slot home.

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Clough-Jeff-big-progress-breakthrough-season-far/story-15654822-detail/story.html

[Colbert Report]

This guy will be starting in midfield for us come the autumn.

[tetsujin1979]

possibly, but I doubt it. Whelan, Andrews, McCarthy and Gibson all playing regularly at a higher level, not to mention Fahey who's a Trapattoni favourite

[Colbert Report]

Never heard of any of those guys

[Carrigaline]

Another assist for Hendrick.

[Olé Olé]

Quick story on him in the Star linking him with a £2m move to Norwich. Would be a great club to take his first steps in the Premier League, especially under the tutelage of Paul Lambert.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/view/249222/Norwich-prepare-2m-bid-for-Derby-midfielder-Jeff-Hendrick/

[Carrigaline]

Voted Young Player of the Year at Derby County as well.

[seanfhear]

Quick story on him in the Star linking him with a £2m move to Norwich. Would be a great club to take his first steps in the Premier League, especially under the tutelage of Paul Lambert.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/view/249222/Norwich-prepare-2m-bid-for-Derby-midfielder-Jeff-Hendrick/
Lambert has done a brilliant job at Norwich and he can be hard to understand (the lovely Scottish accent) as well which seems to work for some managers !

[Charlie Darwin]

Got his first of the season to put Derby 2-0 up at home to Watford. Sammon's now made it 3-0.

[Duggie]

lads i really like what i see of this guy, i saw him play for the u21's when they played italy in sligo a few months back and i kept checking my programme to remind me who he was. good strong midfielder, good on the ball, he impressed me the most that day, him and greg cunnigham actually. i'd really like to see him called up to the senior squad sooner rather than later.

[Charlie Darwin]

Opened the scoring today in a 2-0 victory over Bristol City.

[Paddy Garcia]

Who needs Hendrick when we have Green!

[SkStu]

Grabs a goal for Derby today in their 3-0 win over Middlesbrough. Sammon scored the third.

[Charlie Darwin]

Another one for Hendrick today at home to Tranmere as they lead 4-0. Conor Sammon also scored. Both seem to be hitting a purple patch in form. Mark O'Brien also keeping a clean sheet in defence.

[DeLorean]

Another one for Hendrick today at home to Tranmere as they lead 4-0. Conor Sammon also scored. Both seem to be hitting a purple patch in form. Mark O'Brien also keeping a clean sheet in defence.

And captain Richard Keogh. More than a third of their starting team are Irish.

[sonofakeano]

Would love to see Trap give Hendrick a chance against Poland. Being a realist I know he won't get any game time, but even into the squad like he has done with Clifford to give him a feel for the full international set-up.

[Bungle]

Really excited by this lad and Mark O'Brien. I have to admit I've only seen both about 3 times, but they both look like future internationals from the limited times I've seen them. I agree that it would be great if Jeff was involved in the squad for Poland.

[DeLorean]

I was a little bit worried when he was dropped recently but he seems to have bounced back well. Clough is pretty impressed anyway. As an aside, this Will Hughes seems to be a massive prospect, even linked with Barca if rumours are to be believed. Unfortunately he is English.

Clough on Hendrick (http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/star-Jeff-Hendrick-Derby-County-s-ace-tough-spell/story-17756850-detail/story.html)

[Charlie Darwin]

Another goal for Hendrick to pull them back to 2-1 at Brighton. This one was from inside the six-yard box.

[SkStu]

Another goal for Hendrick to pull them back to 2-1 at Brighton. This one was from inside the six-yard box.

Someone's been using the very descriptive match tracker on BBC...

The assist on the goal was provided by... :)

[Park_Lane]

Trapatonni at Brighton v Derby today according to Tony O'Donoghues twitter. Keogh, hendrick, o'brien, sammon and dicker all featured.

[DannyInvincible]

Aston Villa are tracking Hendrick, apparently: http://www.goal.com/en-ie/rumours/last/24

[Colbert Report]

They'll be in the Championship next season anyway, he might as well stick with Derby.

[Charlie Darwin]

Aston Villa are tracking Hendrick, apparently: http://www.goal.com/en-ie/rumours/last/24
That rumour's been going around for a year or so now.

[elroy]

Villa have no money for transfers unless they can sell someone like Bent which seems unlikely

[Bungle]

Think he'd be better off staying at a good decent championship team than going into a relegation battle with villa.

[Crosby87]

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http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFYsiMTaM_N8WHVdK-orcJrF1_lldsCXhEGU4V2F-ioSaODPY2dg

Kinda looks like Niall.

[Olé Olé]

That rumour's been going around for a year or so now.

A loud rumour was 'Hendrick to Norwich'. Coincidentally or not, while Lambert was managing the Canaries.

[tricky_colour]

This thread deserves a bump, Hendricks part in the goal was as crucial as Wes's they seem to play well together
no surprise he was rumoured to be wanted at Norwich?

[elroy]

Superb ball and impressive little cameo. That little bit of imagination that has been missing from Irish teams for a number of years. While the journos continue their crusade over Hoolahan, a large part of that goal is down to the superb pass from Hendrick.

[tricky_colour]

Found this on the Derby forum, seems he has come though a difficult spell and is now playing well.




GIOVANNI Trapattoni has generally left the second tier of the English club scene untroubled in his four years in charge of the Ireland team, so his presence at last weekend's Championship meeting of Brighton and Derby County could prove to be significant -- especially if your name is Jeff Hendrick.

The 20-year-old midfielder is in a rich vein of form with Derby, and a run of three goals in three games for Nigel Clough's side is the sort of goal-scoring return that midfielders can only dream of.

Hendrick is generally regarded as one of Ireland's finest young midfield prospects and only this week Kevin Kilbane was talking up the Coolock lad as a player who could even get a move to the Premier League.

Kilbane saw Hendrick first hand from his own spell on loan to Derby last season.

With so few Irishmen playing in midfield in the top flight -- only Glenn Whelan, Darron Gibson, Wes Hoolahan and James McCarthy can be considered as Premier League regulars in central midfield -- Trap will eventually be forced to turn the page and look to the Championship to bulk up the international squad, and that could lead to uncapped players like Hendrick getting the nod.

"I didn't know that Trapattoni was at our game last week, it's hard to pick one face out of a crowd of 25,000 and I only knew about it when someone told me a couple of days later," Hendrick told the Evening Herald, having scored in a 2-1 defeat for his side as Trapattoni watched last weekend as compatriots Richard Keogh, Mark O'Brien, Conor Sammon and Gary Dicker were also on view for the Irish boss.

"Even if I had known in advance that he was coming to see Derby it wouldn't have made me change my game, you can't let things like that get to you. It's not a big deal for me at the moment, I still have two years left at under-21 level and that's my focus now. But it's nice to be scoring goals and know that the Ireland manager is at least having a look.

"I got a text the other day about the squad for the under-21 game against Holland in Tallaght next month so I'm not counting on getting a place in the senior squad for the moment.

"I've enjoyed playing for the under-21s. We have a good squad and a good manager there and maybe we can push on and try to qualify for the Euros in the next campaign.

"I think for me to get into the seniors I'll need to do well with the under-21s and do well for Derby but if both of those things can happen then maybe it could come around for me, once I get some more experience."

A few years ago, Hendrick and Robbie Brady were team-mates with the St Kevin's Boys back home in Dublin and the dream was to make it at the top level in England and also play for Ireland.

Together

Brady has reached one of those targets and is expected to win his fifth senior cap against Poland next month.

"Myself and Robbie grew up playing together, since we were eight," says Hendrick.

"Robbie is flying at the moment with the move to Hull and his run in the Irish team. Hull are doing really well in the Championship and they have a great chance of getting into the Premier League for next year.

"I'm still good mates with Robbie, we meet up a fair bit with the Irish teams and I saw him when we played Hull a while back.

"We had a good team at Kevin's. You still have myself, Robbie Brady, Cian Bolger and Eoin Wearen over in England, the rest are back in Ireland now," says Hendrick.

The midfielder had a number of offers on the table when he was leaving Ireland at the age of 16 but opted for Derby, feeling that that the Championship club offered a more reliable path to success.

"I just liked the feel of the place from the first time I came," he says.

"When you went to other clubs sometimes you were made to feel like an outsider but at Derby they made a real effort to make you feel welcome and fit in.

"I knew that if I worked hard and did well I'd get a chance to play for the first team. At somewhere like Derby if you're good enough you will get a chance," added Hendrick, who made his debut for the Rams in April 2011 and has since made 74 appearances.

He seemed to struggle for goals but he's found a scoring touch in recent weeks, with four goals in the last seven games.

"My own form is pretty good. At the start of the season I struggled with my form a bit, but the last two months have been really good for me and I just want to get stronger and better," he admits.

"I have no idea why the season started badly for me but my confidence was just really low, and now I have my confidence back and a spring in my step, my game has improved and I'm trying things again.

Target

"I just had to dig deep, keep working hard in training until things turned for me and thankfully the season turned for me.

"It's nice to get on the scoresheet and hopefully I can keep that going.

"My target for the season was to hit double figures and I'm halfway there now, so if I can kick on in the second half of the season I might get there.

"This was a big season for me. I'm not a kid of 18 any more, I'm nearly 21 so I need to be moving on with my career, going further.

"Our aim for the season has to be to push into the playoffs and try to get Derby back into the Premier League, that's where a club of this size needs to be."

[drummerboy]

Reckon this lad is going places. Sublime piece of skill to set up Wes for the goal last night. Norwich would be a good move for him, as Chris Haughton is very interested.

[Charlie Darwin]

Would it be mischievous of me to say that, in his 20-minute cameo, Hendrick showed more in a green shirt than McCarthy ever has?

[tricky_colour]

Would it be mischievous of me to say that, in his 20-minute cameo, Hendrick showed more in a green shirt than McCarthy ever has?

Mischievously accurate.

[gastric]

His biggest issue in establishing himself in an Irish team is the fact he is a creative midfielder. If he turned up in wellies and could drive a tractor he would be fine, such is Trap's love of agricultural type midfielders.

[dr_peepee]

Would love to see him do well... Just trying to keep my hopes grounded.

Who was the last Championship bred Midfielder to really make an impression on the Premiership after a move up? Tim Cahill?