41-cap Scotland man soothes World Cup pain with lucrative new deal

Hendry, 31, is one of the nation’s most travelled footballers, having represented clubs in Italy, Belgium and Australia during his career.

His future was thrown into doubt when it was reported that the Dammam-based club no longer had the budget available to be able to offer him an improved contract. However, reports in recent weeks had indicated that the centre-back could extend his stay with Al-Ettifaq after the Saudi side were handed a cash injection on their summer budget, and they have now confirmed Hendry has signed a two-year deal via their social media channels.

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Hendry has spent the last three years at the EGO Stadium, having been brought to the league by ex-Rangers boss Steven Gerrard. Despite his move to the Middle East, he remained part of former Scotland head coach Steve Clarke’s plans at international level, starting all three of the national team’s group games at this summer’s World Cup.

Linked to league rivals Al-Hilal earlier this year, it is believed the club's head of football, Hatim Al Misehal, stepped in to secure extra funds to offer Hendry ‘significantly higher terms’ as he looked to ward off competition from other Saudi Pro League clubs, and sides in Europe. However, former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has been allowed to exit the club.

Speaking about his experience in Saudi Arabia last November, Hendry praised his experience of the league and revealed why he was keen to remain in the country beyond the summer, saying: “I do really enjoy it out here. I've had numerous offers since I've been here and chosen to stay.

“For me, it's just embracing whatever country I go to, learning the culture and most importantly, getting better as a player. I feel that these tests that I get each week only help. It's a really good test week in, week out for me. Al Hilal has just brought in Darwin Nunez. They've got a young Brazilian striker, Marcos Leonardo.

“The midfield is really strong with Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves. We are playing against Al-Shabab this weekend, who have Yannick Carrasco, Hamdallah, who's a Moroccan international, and they’ve brought in Yacine Adli from AC Milan and Josh Brownhill from England. You're getting tested against international players. They might not be international players from the top nations, but they're still international-calibre players. It says a lot. They are working behind the scenes to extend that [my contract] or to put a proposal on the table that would make me stay longer.”