Gary Caldwell, the former Celtic and Scotland defender, has urged Jack Hendry to seize his chance to shine with Scotland nest week. The Celtic defender is one of just three Parkhead players will go to Peru and Mexico with Alex McLeish’s side but Caldwell believes that the youngster can cement himself in the thoughts of the national manager. There are few who fancy the trip but Caldwell has maintained that it is an ideal opportunity to learn ahead of the autumn competitive games getting underway.

Read more: Celtic captain Scott Brown urges SFA to 'step up their game'

"I know Jack Hendry really well as I signed him for Wigan from Partick,” said Caldwell. “He’s a player that I have high hopes for. I didn’t have enough time to work with him and try and develop him. But it’s great to see him playing so well on his debut for Scotland and getting a few opportunities at Celtic.

“He has a challenge in front of him that he has to work hard to get into the Celtic team and become a regular with Scotland. But he has all the attributes to be a top centre half. I’ve seen that day-in, day-out.

“I haven’t seen as much of Scott McKenna but he’s been excellent. I watched his debut against Costa Rica and he showed that he can play at that level.

Read more: Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor insists it's harder to impress as an academy graduate

“He and Jack were then both excellent against Hungary. I don’t think centre-halves really mature until their late 20s so that bodes well for both of them as they still have lots of time to develop and get better.

“What’s important is these guys keep developing. In the past we’ve had some younger players coming in and you think this is going to take off but they don’t quite fulfil their potential. It’s important when they are at their clubs and the national team that they keep developing and working hard. Learn from experiences. It’s not always going to be enjoyable. You aren’t always going to win. But as long as you learn and try and get better I’m sure one day we will qualify whether it’s with this group or one in the future.” Caldwell didn’t get much time to work with Hendry but believes that Scottish clubs have become notable again for English markets given the value for money that can be found.

Read more: Celtic receive Royale invite to open stadium in Belgium

“They know players aren’t getting paid a lot of money in Scotland so financially it makes a lot of sense,” he said. “If you get them young enough then they have the potential to grow. What you don’t get down here is time in a job to develop those players and make them better.

‘We knew Jack wasn’t just going to go straight into the first team but I felt he had all the attributes to be a top centre half. But we needed to work with him. He played a few games in his first season, then had a loan in his second and then I lost my job. Because a new manager comes in, he moves back to Scotland, has great success and gets sold for a lot of money. It’s the time you need to develop these players.” Meanwhile, Caldwell also believes that Scotland have to continue to use Hampden as the national stadium.

The SFA’s lease expires on 2020 and there have been suggestions of moving away from mount Florida, a proposal that Caldwell has rejected.

“It’s very important that we have a national stadium. I think it should remain where it is,” he said. “People talk about the stands being too far from the pitch but, believe me, when you are out there and it’s full, on days like that, the atmosphere is incredible.

“There aren’t many stadiums better. For me, it has to remain the national stadium and give us a home. Moving elsewhere would only make it more difficult to qualify.”

*Gary Caldwell was speaking as part of the campaign to preserve the future of Hampden Park, Scotland’s National Stadium*