PARTICK THISTLE striker Kris Doolan isn’t surprised to see former teammate Jack Hendry in the Scotland squad, he is only shocked that his former defensive partner Liam Lindsay hasn’t joined him yet.

Celtic youngster Hendry was drafted into Alex McLeish’s squad for the friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary after the withdrawal of Russell Martin and Kieran Tierney.

Doolan is delighted to see the former Firhill man enjoying such a rapid rise in the game, and he says it is a feather in Thistle’s cap that they gave first-team opportunities to both Hendry and Lindsay at such a tender age.

“Jack was the kind of boy who probably needed somebody to give him that chance and to look after him,” said Doolan. “Young players will have ups and downs, but he was given that chance at Thistle and to be fair to him, he took it with both hands.

“He was excellent when he was playing with us. He had all the attributes and I’m not surprised that he is playing for Celtic and on the international scene.

“It’s great to see how far he is going. He played a handful of games for us and went down south, moved about down there, had a few games at Dundee and all of a sudden, he’s at Celtic and in the Scotland squad.

“It’s been a quick rise for him, but in football if you are doing well, as Jack is, then people will take notice. It’s great to see and I hope he does really well.

“The only surprise is that Liam isn’t in there with him, because he is another one who has all the physical attributes. He’s obviously playing at a very high level down in England and he’s doing very well, and he’s been linked with even bigger teams.

“So, it’s a surprise that he isn’t in the set up, but I don’t think he will be far away at some point soon in the near future.”

Doolan believes that Hendry can not only handle the step up in playing for a club the size of Celtic, but that he will thrive in that environment under the tutelage of manager Brendan Rodgers.

“He probably fits the bill for Celtic in that he’s very good on the ball and comfortable in possession,” he said. “He will go and take the ball off the keeper, he’s confident, and he has that little burst of pace that can take him into the middle of the park.

“He has good close control, and he’s a typical Celtic type of defender, and he’s still young enough that he could develop even further.

“I’m sure the coaches at Celtic will be working hard with him, and he is a good learner. He listens and he’s a good lad, taking on information and processing it well.”