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London: The center of Al-Etifaq, Jack Hendry, knows a lot about the rivalries between cities. He played for Dundee against Dundee United, for Club Brugge against Cercle Brugge and, in particular, for Celtic against Rangers at the OLD Signature Derby.

On Saturday, Hendry will face a new enemy when he aligns in the defense of Al-Etifaq against Al-Qadsiah high flight. In recent years, Al-Etifaq has been the leading club of Dammam, but this season he has undeniably usurped his leg for the rivals al-Qadsiah.

Michel’s recently promoted team has enjoyed a star season upon return to the top category of the kingdom, is currently third at the Saudi Professional League table and reaching the final of the Copa del Rey.

“Shadow to Qadsiah, they have had a very good season,” Hendry told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “They have had a good recruitment, bringing players who have worked well.

“We realize why coinciding and we will continue working hard to be the main team in Dammam. I think we are doing that much more. It is a bone a disappointing season, but we are extremely motivated to be the no.

He added: “This is something that I really am hungry.

Hendry’s winning mentality is rooted after spells in Celtic in his Scotland and Club Brugge in Belgium, both clubs hoped to constantly challenge for each domestic trophy.

It was this hunger that initially convinced that Al-Tettifaq moved in the summer of 2023, excited about the possibility of working with Steven Gerrard. The brilliant game race of the coach threw innumerable trophies in Liverpool before the Premier League Scotto also won as head of the Rangers in 2021.

“I had many opportunities to go to different places throughout Europe, but Steven really sold the project,” said Hendry. “It was an opportunity that I thought I couldn’t let it go.

“I collected a lot from Steven and it was a great honor to play for him, since it was one of my idols while growing. The winning mentality is something that obviously had as a player and he definitely also brought that to his training.”

In January, after 18 months in the helmet, Gerrard left Al-Etifaq and former Saudi Arabia coach U-23s Saad Al-Shehri returned for his second period.

Hendry admits that he was sad to see Gerrard IR, but praised his teammates for his professionalism by quickly adapting to his new coach: the team is now in the seventh at the table of the Pro League with victories that include an impressive 3-2 distance to Al-Nassr.

“Losing a figure, a model to follow as Steven with all his experience in the game is always disappointing,” said Hendry. “But in football, you get setbacks and things you don’t expect: you have to learn from him instead of stopping it.

“Now we have a new manager who is extremely positive and highly ambitious for the football club. It also coincides with my ambitions, so I am delighted that I have those high standards and really look forward to the fault.”

The arrival of Al-Shehri has coincided with Hendry’s return to the initial alignation al-Etifaq. The Saudi coach clearly sees the 29 -year -old as a key figure both in the field and in the locker room, but comes after a first half of the difficult season for Hendry.

After playing every minute of each game in the 2023-24 campaign, Hendry was initial omitted of the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League team after suffering an injury. His return came faster than expected, which means that he faced a painful wait for the end of the winter holidays to return to action.

“I was very happy with the way I played last season and I really put my body on the line for the team,” says Hendry. “I play in a couple of games when I had a broken nose and a fractured cheek too. This is the type of player I am, I want to put everything for the team.

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“I want the club to have as successful as possible and I feel that when I am in the field we have a better opportunity to keep the goals out. I am grateful now I am back in the team and I hope that these circumstances do not happen again.”

While Hendry has helped bring some solidity to the defense of Al-Etifaq, the team has been fighting at the other end of the field. The Al-Shehri side enters the Dammam without the star striker Moussa Dembele, who in February was discarded until the end of the year after breaking his Achilles.

“He is a very talented soccer player, a very powerful striker,” says Hendry about Dembele, who was also his teammate in Celtic. “Moussa is going to be a great lady, there are no team sides to lose his no. 9. But we need to react to that in a positive way, do everything possible for him and I hope he has a good recovery.”

The Al-Etifaq attackers will have their work cut on Saturday against an Al-Qadsiah team that has the most bad defense of the Saudi Professional League this season: they have connected only 21 goals in 25 games.

However, Hendry enjoys the opportunity to play in his first Dammam Dammam. While admitting that the rivalry may not have the ferocity of the Old Firm or Bruges games, he hopes that Al-Etifaq vs al-Qadsiah will develop in something equally special.

“Obviously, Celtic and Rangers’ fans live absolutely and breathe the Old Firm Derby in Scotland,” explains Hendry. “It means a lot and that creates an incredible atmosphere: it would be impossible to experience that child in one game elsewhere.

“The passion in Scotland and Belgium was incredible, but we are talking about generations after generations of fans. There is the potential with what is happening at this time in Saudi Arabia that can reach that level.

“We already have many very loyal followers in Ettifaq. I know that it would mean that the world to overcome Qadsiah and we have to leave and make them proud of the football club, that is what we will try to do.”