You’d be hard-pressed to find any team in the country with as much clarity missing from the club as Celtic right now.
The Hoops are without a new manager and they are also on the hunt for a new director of football.
The Bhoys are also fretting over the future of a number of their regular first-team stars.
On the chalkboard
Odsonne Edouard is regularly linked with a move to the Premier League and at the front of the queue right now appear to be Leicester City.
That said, Celtic’s defensive rock could also depart south of the border.
Both Norwich City and Newcastle United are interested in signing colossal defender Kristoffer Ajer this summer. The Norwegian has also attracted the eyes of Italian giants AC Milan.
It would be far-fetched to imagine keeping the pair of them at the club so the Celtic hierarchy must begin preparing for next season.
With Shane Duffy also set to head back to Brighton at the conclusion of his loan spell, it will leave the Glaswegian outfit light in defence.
The solution
When it’s come to the defensive part of their game this term, Celtic have been utterly diabolical.
They shipped 19 strikes in six Europa League games while they’ve also conceded 13 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership.
Even with Neil Lennon gone, the problems continue to mount under John Kennedy. The way they conceded two goals against the Gers in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup was simply dreadful.
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Diego Laxalt was all at sea for both goals and thus, it will be difficult to see him staying at the club either.
Fortunately, Celtic have a remedy right in front of them; Jack Hendry.
The Scot has rarely been seen throughout his Hoops career and missed a great deal of last season through injury.
However, he’s bounced back in phenomenal fashion while on loan with Oostende in Belgium. Hendry has been so good he was announced as the best player in the entire division last week.
He has been a pillar of consistency at the back and is proving exactly why he can step in for both Duffy and Ajer in 2021/22.
Celtic will, however, need to stop a £2m move from going through. Oostende have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer while he’s also being courted by Burnley, Brighton and Sheffield United in England.
The Hoops hierarchy would be extremely foolish to get rid of him, though. Speaking earlier this season, Oostende manager Alexander Blessin said: “He's been a tower of experience for us.
"Jack's the most important member of the team this season and he's one of the best defenders in the league. He can defend, he's fast and he's also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height."
The 25-year-old’s game can be outlined by the level of consistency he’s established. Compare that to someone like Duffy and he’d add an extra layer of security.
The Irishman’s spell at Paradise has been a disastrous one and he now hasn’t played since the middle of February.
If Celtic want to improve defensively, they have to keep Hendry at the club.