Liam Henderson

Liam Henderson

Personal information
Full name	Liam Henderson
Date of birth	25 April 1996
Place of birth	Livingston, Scotland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Celtic
Number	53
Youth career
2008–2013	Celtic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–	Celtic	21	(2)
2015	→ Rosenborg (loan)	9	(3)
2015–2016	→ Hibernian (loan)	32	(5)
National team^‡
2011–2012	Scotland U16[1]	9	(1)
2012–2013	Scotland U17[2]	6	(0)
2013–2015	Scotland U19[3][4]	13	(3)
2015–	Scotland U21[4]	6	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:47, 20 August 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:08, 6 September 2016 (BST)

Liam Henderson (born 25 April 1996) is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Celtic and the Scotland national under-21 football team.

He joined Celtic as a youth and progressed through the club's development squad before making his competitive first team debut in December 2013. He played in Celtic's winning 2015 Scottish League Cup Final team, before going out on three month loan to Norwegian side Rosenborg. The Norwegian club went on to win a domestic league and cup double, and Henderson played enough games for him to earn winner's medals in both competitions. He then went on loan to Hibernian for most of the 2015–16 season, helping the club win the 2015–16 Scottish Cup.

Henderson has represented Scotland at various youth levels, including captaining the under-17 side, and is currently a member of the under-21 squad.

Club career

Celtic

Henderson signed for Celtic in 2008.^[5] He featured for the club's development squad in midfield and was included in the first team squad for their pre-season trip to Germany in the summer of 2013.^[5] Henderson played in a pre-season game against Ukrainian side Sevastopol, alongside higher profile debutants Virgil van Dijk and Amido Balde.^[6]

Season 2013–14 saw Henderson continue to play for the Celtic development squad at both under-20 level and in the UEFA Youth League.^[5] He was particularly impressive in Celtic's 4–1 win over the Ajax academy side in October.^[7][8] Henderson made his competitive first team début, aged 17, on 6 December 2013; coming on as a substitute in Celtic's 5–0 win over Motherwell in the league.^[9] He then featured for the first team again in January 2014, playing in Turkey against Galatasaray in the Antalya Winter Cup. The match finished 0–0, but Celtic lost on penalty kicks. Despite the result, Henderson, and several other youth players who featured, were praised for their performance.^[10]

On 13 March 2014, Henderson made his first start in a competitive game in an away league match at Kilmarnock.^[11] Celtic won 3–0 and Henderson was praised by manager Neil Lennon for his performance, saying "I thought he grew into the game and had a superb debut. Credit to him and credit to the academy, because I think we have got a good player there."^[12] Henderson scored his first goal for Celtic on 26 March 2014, the second goal in Celtic's 5–1 win away at Partick Thistle which clinched the league title.^[13] His form throughout March saw him win the SPFL Young Player of the Month award for that month.^[14] Manager Neil Lennon commented "He's been absolutely excellent", and added that "His attitude to work is fantastic and there's certainly a willingness on his part to get better".^[14]

Henderson made a couple of appearances in the first few weeks of season 2014–15; playing against KR Reykjavik in a Champions League qualifying match and then in a league match away against Inverness CT. However, he thereafter completely dropped out of new Celtic manager Ronny Deila's plans for several months.^[15] Henderson regained his place in the XI in early January and scored an excellent left-footed strike against Hamilton Academical on 17 January 2015.^[16] Henderson featured for Celtic in the first leg of their Europa League tie against Inter Milan, coming on as a substitute in the second half and providing the cross which led to John Guidetti's late equalising goal in a 3–3 draw.^[17] A month later he played in the final eight minutes of Celtic's 2–0 League Cup Final win over Dundee United.^[18]

On 14 August 2015, in between his two spells away on loan, Henderson signed a three-year contract with Celtic. ^[19]

Loan to Rosenborg

Henderson completed a short-term loan move to Rosenborg on 31 March 2015.^[20] Rosenborg manager Kåre Ingebrigtsen described Henderson as a "very exciting player" and that he had "huge potential".^[21] Henderson made his debut for his new club on 12 April when he came on as a second half substitute during a 6–0 win over Haugesund.^[22] After making another substitute appearance in a league match against Strømsgodset,^[4] Henderson made his first starting appearance in Norway on 22 April in a Norwegian Cup tie away against lower league Vuku. The midfielder opened the scoring after 8 minutes with a right foot strike. It was his first goal for Rosenborg, and his side went on to win 3–0.^[23][24] On 25 April Henderson came off the bench, on his 19th birthday, against Viking to score twice within 10 minutes. Rosenborg subsequently won the game 4–1.^[4][25][26] After making a total of 13 appearances, he returned to Celtic at the end of June 2015.^[27] Henderson was positive about his time in Norway, stating "it was a great experience, playing in a different league and in a foreign country."^[28]

Rosenborg clinched the league title on 25 October 2015,^[29] with Henderson having made enough league appearances to win a league medal.^[30] He also qualified for a cup winner's medal after Rosenborg won the 2015 Norwegian Football Cup.^[31] Henderson qualified for a medal by playing in the earlier rounds of the competition, with rules in Norway stating a player is eligible for a medal by virtue of playing during the cup run.^[32]

Loan to Hibernian

On 14 August 2015, Henderson completed a season loan move to Hibernian.^[33] He made his debut the following day, coming on as a second half substitute during Hibernian's 1–0 win in the league over Morton at Easter Road.^[34] On 12 September, he scored for his first goal for Hibs, opening the scoring in a 3–0 win over Alloa Athletic.^[4][35] A week later, Henderson scored the only goal in a 1–0 win away at Livingston.^[36] He curled the ball in direct from a free kick, with manager Alan Stubbs describing the goal as "worthy of winning any game".^[37] On 30 January 2016, Hibernian defeated St Johnstone 2–1 in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup. The opening goal was controversial; Henderson adjudged to have been fouled by St Johnstone's Chris Millar in the penalty box, with Jason Cummings converting the resultant penalty. The penalty award provoked fury from the St Johnstone players who felt that Henderson dived, and afterwards their manager commented that "In a way I wouldn't blame the referee but certainly their player's [Henderson's] actions probably made his mind up for him. What I've seen, there doesn't look to be any contact."^[38][39] Henderson played in the final against Ross County, but Hibs lost 2–1, the winning goal scored by The Staggies in the 90th minute.^[40]

Hibs were paired against Hearts in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup, coming from two goals down at Tynecastle to salvage a replay, then winning 1–0 at Easter Road to progress to the quarter-final. Henderson was a prominent player in both games.^[41][42][43] Hibs defeated Inverness CT 2–1 in the next round, with Henderson heavily involved in the move that lead to Hibs' second goal.^[44] Henderson came off the bench in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final, as Hibernian beat Rangers 3–2 to win the competition for the first time since 1902.^[45] On as a 70th minute substitute, Henderson delivered corner kicks that led to Anthony Stokes' equaliser (2–2) and David Gray's stoppage time winning goal.^[45][46]

International career

Henderson has played for Scotland at youth level; captaining the under-17 side,^[47] and then making the step up to the under-19 side who qualified for the Elite Round of the UEFA European Championship after a 1–1 draw with Germany in October 2013.^[7] Henderson played in all three elite round matches in May 2014,^[3] although Scotland finished bottom of the group and failed to progress.^[48]

He kept his place in the under-19 squad for the following season, and in October 2014 played against Finland in the opening qualifying tie for the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Henderson scored from the penalty spot to put Scotland 2–0 ahead, but Finland rallied and scored twice in the final 14 minutes to secure a draw.^[49] Henderson played in further draws against Lithuania and Norway,^[4] with Scotland qualifying for Elite Round as the best ranked third-placed team.^[50] He scored both of Scotland's goals in their 2–1 win over Austria in their opening Elite Round match on 26 March 2015.^[4][51] Henderson missed the next Elite Round match against Italy, but returned for the final game on 31 March against Croatia. Scotland could only draw 1–1, and failed to qualify from the group.^[52]

In November 2015, Henderson was called up to the under-21 squad for a European Under-21 Championship Qualifier against Ukraine in Paisley.^[53] On 13 November, he played for the whole 90 minutes in a 2–2 draw with the Ukrainians, twice coming close to scoring himself.^[54]

Personal life

Henderson's father, Nicky, was also a professional footballer in the 1990s and early 2000s.^[55]

Career statistics

As of 26 October 2016 (UTC)^[4][56][57]

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Celtic
	2013–14	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	1
	2014–15	9	1	1	0	1	0	3	0	14	1
	2015–16	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2016–17	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
	Total	21	2	1	0	2	0	3	0	27	2
Rosenborg (loan)
	2015	9	3	4	1	0	0	0	0	13	4
Hibernian (loan)
	2015–16	32	5	7	0	5	0	4	1	48	6
Career total		62	10	12	1	7	0	7	1	88	12

Honours

Club

Celtic

• Scottish League Cup: 2014–15^[18]

Rosenborg

• Tippeligaen: 2015^[29][30]
• Norwegian Football Cup: 2015^[31][32]

Hibernian

• Scottish Cup: 2015–16^[45]

References

1. "U16 Profiles – Liam Henderson". Scottish FA. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
2. "U17 Profiles – Liam Henderson". Scottish FA. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
3. "U19 Profiles – Liam Henderson". Scottish FA. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
4. "L. Henderson". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
5. "53. Liam Henderson - Midfielder". Celtic FC. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
6. "Celtic 0 Sevastopol 1: New signings debut as Celtic lose pre-season opener". Daily Record. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
7. "Celtic starlet aims for place in top team". Evening Times. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
8. "Celtic 4–1 Ajax". UEFA.com. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
9. "Liam Henderson". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
10. Swan, Craig (13 January 2014). "Galatasaray 0 Celtic 0: Turkish champions clinch Antalya Winter Cup 5–4 on penalties but Neil Lennon's kids take the plaudits". Daily Record. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
11. "Kilmarnock v Celtic". BBC Sport. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
12. "Neil Lennon praises Liam Henderson after youngster makes his first Celtic start against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park". Daily Record. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
13. Lindsay, Clive (26 March 2014). "Partick Thistle 1 – 5 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
14. "Celtic's Liam Henderson wins March young player award". BBC Sport. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
15. "Henderson, Liam 2014–15". FitbaStats. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
16. Campbell, Andy (17 January 2015). "Hamilton 0 – 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
17. Lamont, Alasdair (19 February 2015). "Celtic 3 – 3 Inter Milan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
18. Wilson, Richard (15 March 2015). "Dundee Utd 0 – 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
19. "New Celtic deal for Liam Henderson as he joins Hibernian on loan". Celtic FC. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
20. "Celtic kid Liam Henderson joins Norwegian side Rosenborg on loan until the summer". Daily Record. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
21. "Henderson på lån fra Celtic". Rosenborg BK (in Norwegian). 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
22. McHugh, Joe (12 April 2015). "Henderson's winning debut for Rosenborg". Video Celts. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
23. Stendal, Christian Skare (22 April 2015). "Skotsk stortalent scoret sitt første Rosenborg-mål". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 April 2015.
24. Dawes, Olly (23 April 2015). "Celtic teenager Liam Henderson reacts after scoring first goal for Rosenborg this week". Here is the City. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
25. Johannessen, Bjørn Arne (25 April 2015). "Alexander Søderlund: – Vi er som et lokomotiv". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 April 2015.
26. Barka, Even (25 April 2015). "Scoret to mål på seks minutter: – Jeg er ingen naturlig målscorer". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 April 2015.
27. "Liam Henderson returns to Celtic on crutches after Rosenborg injury". Herald Scotland. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
28. McConnell, Alison (9 July 2015). "Norwegian good: Celtic starlet Liam Henderson hails Rosenborg loan spell even though it cost him league winner's medal". Evening Times. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
29. "Rosenborg reign again in Norway". UEFA. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
30. Pattullo, Alan (29 August 2015). "Hibs' Liam Henderson in line for Rosenborg medal". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
31. "Liam Henderson desperate to claim medal of honour with Hibs". Edinburgh Evening News. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
32. "Hibs loan star Liam Henderson already boasts one Cup medal this season – and is eyeing Scottish Cup progress". Deadline News. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
33. "Liam Henderson joins Hibernian on loan". Hibernian F.C. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
34. McLaughlin, Connie (15 August 2015). "Hibernian 1 – 0 Morton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
35. "Hibernian vs Alloa Athletic 3–0". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
36. "Livingston 0 – 1 Hibernian". BBC Sport. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
37. Fowler, Craig (21 September 2015). "Alan Stubbs accentuates positives in Livingston". The Scotsman. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
38. Ruthven, Graham (30 January 2016). "John McGinn goal sends Hibernian into Scottish League Cup final". STV Sport. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
39. "Tommy Wright: St Johnstone 'wronged' by Hibs' Liam Henderson". Sky Sports. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
40. Wilson, Richard (13 March 2016). "Hibernian 1 - 2 Ross County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
41. "Hearts 2-2 Hibernian: Paul Hanlon pounces late to earn Cup replay". Sky Sports. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
42. McGarry, John (16 February 2016). "Hibernian 1-0 Hearts: Jason Cummings strike secures Scottish Cup quarter-final spot for home side". Mail Online. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
43. Wilson, Richard (16 February 2016). "Hibernian 1 - 0 Heart of Midlothian". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
44. Majoribanks, Brian (17 March 2016). "Inverness 1-2 Hibernian: Anthony Stokes brace sees Hibs into Scottish Cup semis". Mail Online. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
45. "Scottish Cup final: Rangers 2-3 Hibernian - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
46. "Rangers 2:3 Hibernian: Player Ratings". Daily Record. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
47. "Stirling stalemate on debut night". Scottish FA. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
48. "Scotland end under-19 campaign with defeat". Scottish FA. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
49. "Under-19s pegged back in Euro opener". Scottish FA. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
50. "Scotland confirmed in elite round". UEFA. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
51. "Celtic kid Liam Henderson gets Scotland Under-19s off to Austrian flyer". Evening Times. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
52. McDermott, Scott (31 March 2015). "Scotland U19 1 Croatia U19 1: Cruel KO for brave kids as Austrian win over Italy sends us crashing out". Daily Record. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
53. "U21 squad announced for Ukraine game". Scottish FA. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
54. "Scotland U21s draw with Ukraine in Paisley". Scottish FA. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
55. "Liam Henderson reveals Hibs-supporting grandad is elated with his move". Herald Scotland. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
56. "Henderson, Liam". FitbaStats. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
57. "Liam Henderson". Norsk Internasjonal FotballStatistikk. Retrieved 18 July 2015.

External links

• Liam Henderson career statistics at Soccerbase