Football
Exclusive: Former Ireland International Jeff Hendrick Wanted by Wigan Athletic
Former Republic of Ireland international Jeff Hendrick, at 33 years old, is being sought after by League One team Wigan Athletic. With an impressive career history, including stints at Burnley and Newcastle United, Hendrick is eager to continue playing at a high level. He has also expressed interest in playing League One football for the first time. Hendrick, with an international pedigree and over 400 career appearances, is looking for regular playing time as he nears retirement.
Republic of Ireland Training Session and Press Conference by Stephen McCarthy | Getty Images
Former Republic of Ireland international Jeff Hendrick is wanted by League One Wigan Athletic, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The ex-Newcastle United, Burnley and Derby County midfielder is hungry to extend his excellent career by at least another season.
And our sources have learnt the experienced 33-year-old, capped 79 times by his country, is open to playing League One football for the first time in the twilight of his career.
Hendrick enjoyed four seasons with Burnley in the Premier League, playing 122 times in the top-flight for the Clarets.
He then joined the Newcastle on a free-transfer in August 2020 on a four-year deal, but the Irishman managed just 25 Premier League games across three seasons and spent much of his time on loan during his stay at St James’ Park.
An initial loan spell with QPR in the Championship was followed by a full season for Reading in the second tier, before a brief stint at Sheffield Wednesday.
Last season he rejoined boyhood club Derby County on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
INTERNATIONAL PEDIGREE
But the seasoned international didn’t play a single game for the Rams and was released at the end of the season.
Now Hendrick, who has scored 44 goals in 449 career appearances, wants the chance to play regular football before he eventually retires after a fine career.
He played for 11 consecutive years for the national side and was a key player for Burnley as they battled every season to stay in the Premier League.
Rumours have circulated that Kendrick would consider a move to Scotland, but our sources have learnt the Dublin-born midfielder is set on staying in England and playing longer.
Hendrick started his career with Derby and played more than 200 matches before joining Burnley for £10.5million in 2016.
He has played exactly 150 games in the Premier League and 262 appearances in the Championship.
Editor's Insight
With 79 international caps under his belt, Hendrick would bring some much needed experience to Wigan who are battling in a tough League One. When assessing the value of a veteran to a lower league club, you need to look past top level data to really see how they can affect the implied probability of multiple wins. Hendrick may not equal the miles run of years past, or even the shots on target, but his experience can be invaluable in its influence on the rest of the squad. Sometimes you can see the rest of the squad step up purely based on their presence.
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Having written for national newspapers and respected publications for 25 years, Neil brings a wealth of experience as both a writer and journalist. In the past three years, he has done freelance work for BBC Sport.